Reed all had practices or taught in St. Louis. That so many medical 
men helped establish the Western Academy of Natural Sciences of St. 
Louis was not coincidental. A close association existed between members 
of the medical profession and most natural history societies and 
academies of science. Physicians of the era studied chemistry, 
mineralogy, and other sciences along with anatomy and materia medica, 
thus making them de facto natural scientists. Furthermore, most in- 
dividuals who went into medicine were intelligent and inquisitive and 
often extended their studies into fields such as the study of plants that 
related to the medicine of the time. 
Intelligence and curiosity about the natural world was not confined 
to the medical profession, as the remaining names on the list of founders 
of the Western Academy illustrate: Theodore Engelmann, a teacher; 
William G. Eliot, minister of the First Congregational Church; Karl 
A. Geyer, a botanical collector; David W. Gobel, a professor of 
mathematics; Edward Harren, a businessman; Marie P. Leduc, a judge 
of the county court; and William Weber, a publisher. The other founders, 
whose vocations are not noted in the record, were G. Scheutze, Jasper 
Meyer, and M. Thomas. Friedreich Wislizenus, a physician; D.A.H. 
Armstrong, a school teacher; and W.R. Singleton and C.M. Sell, oc- 
cupations unknown, joined the organization soon after its creation. 
The founders of the Western Academy wrote a constitution and 
by-laws similar to those of established science groups in the East, such 
as the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which they strove 
to emulate in order to improve the cultural standards of their town and 
region. The constitution called for the usual roster of officers—president, 
vice-president, corresponding secretary, treasurer, and librarian. The 
organization was to meet semi-monthly and hold an annual meeting at 
which officers would give reports. The founders established four 
categories of membership: active, associate, corresponding, and 
honorary. Active members gained admission if they could demonstrate 
a familiarity with one or more branches of the natural sciences. Associate 
members attained that rank simply by paying dues: the Academy did 
not require them to prove profound knowledge of science. Correspond- 
ing members were nonresidents who had distinguished themselves as 
scientists. The Academy conferred honorary memberships on persons 
of ‘‘sufficient scientific or literary attainment.’’ Each active member 
served on one or more of the Academy’s ‘‘departments’’ for zoology, 
botany, meteorology, natural Philosophy, and mineralogy and 
chemistry .3 
i. on —_— 4 ee ype cultural standards for their town, 
west cademy acted out of genuine intellec- 
tual curiosity and the expectation of making significant contributions 
6 
