Dünnschliffe, Erzanschliffe, Schmelz- und Presstabletten für Geochemie / Thin sections, polished ore samples, material for analytic geochemistry

Plastikdöschen mit pulverisierten Gesteinsproben und orientierten Bohrkern-Teilstücken / Plastic-cups containing pulverized rock-samples and oriented samples from drill-cores

Bohrkern-Teilstücke aus den Bushveld-Anorthositen (Republik Südafrika) / Pieces from drill core samples from Bushveld-Anorthosites (RSA)

Bohrkern-Teilstücke aus der Gebänderten Eisenerzformation Südafrikas / drill core samples from the Banded Iron Formation (RSA)

Handstücke aus der Verrucano Gruppe und aus dem Toskanischen Paläozoikum / Samples from the Verrucano Group and Tuscan Palaeozoic

Quader-formatierte und polierte Gesteinsproben der Bushveld-Anorthosite, Republik Südafrika / ashlar-formatted and polished samples from Bushveld-Anorthosites (RSA)

Munich, Dec - 13 - 1989

Labeled and signated rock samples and pieces from drill cores (South Africa: Banded Iron Ores, magmatic rocks from Bushveld; Southern Tuscany: Verrucano Group, Palaeozoic substratum) were deposited and stored in room 304 of the institution of ..... ; they belonged to candidates of doctor's degree (...., ......, H. Engelbrecht), supervised by Prof. X.... . H. Engelbrecht observed that his samples were missing since the beginning of December 1989. The answer to an inquiry addressed to Prof. Y. .... was that these samples, which - according to his opinion - were deposited in an inappropriate manner, were removed from room 304; he added literally that ".....this fact diminishes the quality of Your doctoral thesis". Diploma students of Prof. Y. .... had their seats in room 304 since the beginning of winter term 1989/90. H. Engelbrecht got only obscure and arbitrary information from a few of these students concerning the whereabout of his samples; these circumstances hampered and delayed the success of his search for the samples. He never was informed orally, by telephone or by letter neither about the intentional nor of the accomplished removal of his samples. The above mentioned obscure insinuations of the diploma students motivated H. Engelbrecht to start excavations at the trash-dump site present in the backyard of the institution. And he struck gold there. Prof. X. ...... was informed immediately by H. Engelbrecht that the missing rock samples from Tuscany and South Africa were transferred to that location. The evacuation of the waste-dump site, which should occur at the following day, was deferred by Mrs......to Monday, Dec - 11 - 1989. The recovery of the rock samples started on Dec - 06 - 1989 in agreement with Prof. X. .... . It lasted till Sunday, Dec - 10 - 1989. H. Engelbrecht got help from Mrs. ...... and Mr. ...... . Passers-by reacted with unreasonableness, astonishment, empathy, anger and irony. Temperatures near 0°C made work hard. In sum, ca. 1,5 m³ of muddy rock samples were raised out of the waste-dump site manually or by shovel. The samples were examined, selected and put on sorted heaps. The 2m³ waste-pit was excavated down to 70cm. The splashed samples were cleaned preliminarily with warm water and were deposited in room 303A.
In addition to the rock samples, numerous geochemical probes, thin sections - the glass splinters of the crushed ones made manual recovery dangerous - , polished ore sections, damaged plastic cups containing pulverized rock, samples without labels or samples with labels peeling off, plastic bags - containing rock samples, pieces of drill cores, granulate and pulverized rock - with faded labels were found and partially recovered. All these objects should have been maintained in the institution for archivation of important geological information and for recycling of the plastic-containers.
The huge amount of the material to screen and to select prevented a quantitative complete recovery. A part of the material trashed is lost irreversibly since Dec - 11 - 1989. H. Engelbrecht attemped to minimize the loss within the appointed time by means of the actions described above. But he could not prevent that the doctorands of Prof. X. .... suffered irreparable losses caused by external forces. These persons are adversely affected in their scientific progress.
45 full working hours were carried out in sum from Dec - 06 - 1989 to Dec - 10 - 1989. Mrs. H. ... made 8 and Mr. W. ... 4 ours of work. Further work is necessary to finish cleaning of the recovered samples and to reorganize them.
According to H. Engelbrecht, the above described process was enabled by giving and executing a command, which clearly was not justified. The rooms of the persons adversely affected and the executors of the command are located vis-a-vis. Some of the executors personally know H. Engelbrecht: in autumn 1988 he organized for them a geological excursion to the Verrucano Group and its palaeozoic substratum present in Tuscany. The commander and some of his executors knew well about the scientific projects - not yet finished - of the adversely affected persons. Additionally it must be mentioned that - if not present in the institution - the injured persons were always within call prior to the execution of the command: for example, some of the executors - above mentioned diplomands - had available the private address of H. Engelbrecht. The reasons which caused the command is out of all proportions with the consequences.
It was arbitrarily disposed of other people's property. Material necessary for scientific studies was embezzled. The injured persons were willingly not informed or willingly confused. Rational and humanitarian acting, fairness, helpfulness and the good will for cooperation on academic level is not recognizable on the side of the perpetrators; these are characterized by irresponsibility, indifference, negligence and contraproductivity.
The injured persons earn compensation and recover. H. Engelbrecht proposes here that all injured persons proceed by help of legal advisors judicially against the aggressors. By doing so, the above described ways of behaviour can be stopped and the maintenance of the traditionally good manners and customs of this institution can be guaranteed.

Hubert Engelbrecht