MÜLLER-HESS, Eduard (until 1882 E. Müller). Berlin 14.4.1853 — Bern 9.7.1923. German Indologist in Switzerland. Professor in Bern. Son of Captain Eduard Müller and Valérie Geigy (Swiss from Basel). After school in Berlin studies of Indology and comparative linguistics at Berlin, Tübingen and Leipzig. Ph.D. 1874 Leipzig. In 1877-80 Goldschmidt’s successor as Government Epigraphist and Archaeological Surveyor in Ceylon. In 1881-83 PD für Sanskrit at Bern. In 1883-88 taught German in Cardiff. In 1887 again PD, from 1888 ao. Professor für Orientalische Sprachen und Englische Sprache und Literatur at Bern, from 1897 ord. Taught English, Pāli and Sanskrit until his death. Citizen of Bern 1907. Married 1882 Louise Hess, one son and one daughter.
A Pāli philologist of the first generation, collaborating with the P.T.S. While Goldschmidt has studied Sinhalese inscriptions mainly from a linguistic viewpoint, Müller-Hess was more interested in their historical information. Later also wrote on Sanskrit literature. Among his students were M. Bode and A. Venkatasubbiah.
Publications: Diss. “Der Dialekt der Gâthâs des Lalita-Vistara”, Beitr. z. vergl. Sprachforschung 8, 1876, 257-292.
– Beiträge zur Grammatik des Jainaprâkṛit. 7+79 p. B. 1876.
– “Contributions to Siṁhalese Grammar”, IA 11, 1882, 198-220.
– “Notes on Ancient Sinhalese Inscriptions“, JRAS-CB 8:26, 1883, 18-43; further epigraphic articles in IA 1879 & 1880 and JRAS 1880 & 1883.
– Ancient Inscriptions in Ceylon. 1-2. 219 p. 55 pl. L. 1883.
– “A Glossary of Pāli Proper Names”, JPTS 1888, 1-107.
– A simplified grammar of the Pāli language. 143 p. L. 1884.
– Edited: “Dhammasiri’s Khuddasikkhā”, JPTS 1883, 88-121; “Mūlasikhā”, JPTS 1883, 122-130; Dhammasangani. 298 p. L. 1885 (P.T.S. Text series 31); Therīgātha Commentary. Paramattha Dīpanī 5. P.T.S. 1892; Atthasālinī. Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Dhammasangani. L. 1897, rev. 2nd ed. 535 p. P.T.S. Text Ser. 12. 1979.
– “Heranasikkhâ: buddhistisches Moralkompendium von Ceylon”, Festgruss R. Roth 1893, 25-30; “Die Sage von Uppalavannâ”, Archiv f. Rel.wiss. 3, 1900, 217-246 (Therīgāthā Commentary); other articles on Pāli philology and Buddhism, occasionally also on Sanskrit.
– Die Entstehung des indischen Dramas. 24 p. Bern 1916; “Zum Kauṭilīya-Arthaśāstra”, Fs. E. Kuhn 1916, 162-164.
Sources: A. Bigger, Dict. hist. de Suisse 2010 (online); T. Vimalananda, “Two Pioneers of Epigraphy in Ceylon”, The Ceylon Historical Journal 1:4, 1951, 358-360; Fr. Wilhelm, N.D.B. 18, 1997, 500; Hist.-Biogr. Lexicon der Schweiz 5 (with small photo); Dozenten der Bernischen Hochschule. 1984 with small photo; *Prof. Dr. E.M.-H. 1853–1923. Nekrolog. Bern 1923; briefly D.B.E. 7, 1998, 287.
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