Klem — The History of Science in St. Louis. 105 



probably the oldest university west of the Mississippi 

 river, and certainly the oldest in the Louisiana Purchase 

 Territory. 



Among the early professors was Father De Smet, who 

 became so illustrious in succeeding years as a missionary 

 among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains. A copy of 

 Father De Smet's map of the Columbia river and the 

 Puget Sound region is among the historical treasures 

 of the university. The original map was presented to 

 President Polk by Father De Smet during the interna- 

 tional controversy with the British Government about 

 the northwestern boundary. This map was of great im- 

 portance as evidence in the settlement of this vexatious 

 question. 



In 1836 the closing of a college in France gave St. Louis 

 University the opportunity to purchase quite an assort- 

 ment of chemical and physical apparatus of great value. 

 This gave the university a high scientific rank, which it 

 has maintained to the present time. In 1854 an observa- 

 tory was added, where some of the best work of the 

 Fathers has been done. Since 1889 the university has 

 maintained a post-graduate School of Philosophy and 

 Science, and in 1908 added a School of Advanced Science, 

 the object of which is to train scientific specialists. 



As early as 1835 the President of the University held 

 a consultation with the Medical Society of St. Louis rela- 

 tive to the establishment of a medical faculty at the uni- 

 versity. Dr. William Beaumont, 25 famous for his obser- 

 vations on the process of digestion, was a member of 

 the first medical faculty of the university. This depart- 

 ment does not seem to have made much progress up to the 

 year 1842, when it was reorganized, but was very success- 

 ful from that time on, especially after the accession to the 



25 Reyburn, Thos. Memoir of the late Dr. Beaumont St. Louis Med. 

 Surg. Jour. 12: 127-139. 1854. 



Osier, Wm. William Beaumont. A pioneer American physiologist. 

 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc. Nov. 1902. 



Myer, J. S. Life and letters of Dr. William Beaumont. 1912. 



