The Wernerian Natural History Society (12 January 1808 – 16 April 1858), commonly abbreviated as the Wernerian Society, was a learned society interested in the broad field of natural history, and saw papers presented on various topics such as mineralogy, plants, insects, and scholarly expeditions. The Society was an offshoot of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and from its beginnings it was a rather elite organization.
The Society was named after Abraham Gottlob Werner, a German geologist who was a creator of Neptunism, a theory of superposition based on a receding primordial ocean that had deposited all the rocks in the crust.[1] At this time all rocks, including basalt, and crystalline substances were thought by some to be precipitated from solution.[2]
Robert Jameson, founder and life president of the Wernerian Society.
Robert Jameson, Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh, was the founder and life president of the Society. In 1800, he spent a year at the mining academy in Freiberg, Saxony, where he studied under Werner. The Society was founded on 12 January 1808, and the first meeting of the Society occurred on 2 March 1808.[1][3] Between 1811 and 1839 eight volumes of Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society appeared. More than twelve of Jameson's papers on geology and mineralogy were published in these volumes, and he also contributed some on zoology and botany. Proceedings after 1839 were published in Jameson's Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal.[2] The Society hosted many of the notable scientists of its day.
Declineedit
There were no meetings from 1850–1856, which coincided with the decline of Jameson himself. It was eventually decided to close the Society down and dispose of its assets, and it finally closed on 16 April 1858.[1][3]
Lettersedit
Members of the Wernerian Society were entitled to use the abbreviation M.W.S. after their name. "Corresponding members", based outside Edinburgh, used the designation C.M.W.S.
William Hyde Wollaston, physicist, chemist and physiologist who discovered Rhodium and Palladium
Referencesedit
^ abcScholarly Societies Project 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Wernerian Natural History Society.
^ abNavigational Aids for the History of Science, Technology & the Environment 2007-06-12 at the Wayback Machine, Records of the Wernerian Natural History Society, UK.
^ abSweet, Jessie M. The Wernerian Natural History Society in Edinburgh. Freiberger Forschungshefte, Reihe C. (1967) 223: 205–218.
^Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society Vol. 1 for the years 1808,–9,–10.
^National Library of Scotland: Scottish Book Trade Index 2007-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.
January 01, 1970
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The Wernerian Natural History Society 12 January 1808 16 April 1858 commonly abbreviated as the Wernerian Society was a learned society interested in the broad field of natural history and saw papers presented on various topics such as mineralogy plants insects and scholarly expeditions The Society was an offshoot of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and from its beginnings it was a rather elite organization The Society was named after Abraham Gottlob Werner a German geologist who was a creator of Neptunism a theory of superposition based on a receding primordial ocean that had deposited all the rocks in the crust 1 At this time all rocks including basalt and crystalline substances were thought by some to be precipitated from solution 2 Contents 1 History 2 Decline 3 Letters 4 Notable members 4 1 Founding members 4 2 Other members 5 ReferencesHistory edit nbsp Robert Jameson founder and life president of the Wernerian Society Robert Jameson Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh was the founder and life president of the Society In 1800 he spent a year at the mining academy in Freiberg Saxony where he studied under Werner The Society was founded on 12 January 1808 and the first meeting of the Society occurred on 2 March 1808 1 3 Between 1811 and 1839 eight volumes of Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society appeared More than twelve of Jameson s papers on geology and mineralogy were published in these volumes and he also contributed some on zoology and botany Proceedings after 1839 were published in Jameson s Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal 2 The Society hosted many of the notable scientists of its day Decline editThere were no meetings from 1850 1856 which coincided with the decline of Jameson himself It was eventually decided to close the Society down and dispose of its assets and it finally closed on 16 April 1858 1 3 Letters editMembers of the Wernerian Society were entitled to use the abbreviation M W S after their name Corresponding members based outside Edinburgh used the designation C M W S Notable members editFounding members edit Founding members as of 12 January 1808 4 Honorary Abraham Gottlob Werner Sir Joseph Banks President Royal Society Richard Kirwan President Royal Irish Academy Resident Robert Jameson F R S Edin Professor of Natural History University of Edinburgh William Wright M D F R S S London and Edinburgh A L S Thomas Macknight D D F R S Edin John Barclay M D F R S Edin Lecturer in Anatomy Thomas Thomson M D F R S Edin Col Stewart Murray Fullerton a k a Fullarton Charles Anderson M D F R C S Edin Surgeon of Leith Patrick Walker Esq F L S Patrick Neill A M A L S Secretary 1808 1849 5 Other members edit John Hutton Balfour Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Sir Charles Bell surgeon anatomist neurologist and philosophical theologian authority on the human nervous system William Borrer botanist Robert Brown botanist and palaeobotanist the first observer of Brownian motion William Bullock an English traveller naturalist and antiquarian Edward Donovan Anglo Irish writer natural history illustrator and zoologist James Duncan Zoologist Entomologist John Goodsir anatomist pioneer of cell biology Robert Graham botanist Robert Knox surgeon anatomist and zoologist whose career was ruined by his involvement in the Burke and Hare case King Leopold I of Belgium William Lochead surgeon and superintendent of the Saint Vincent Botanical Garden William MacGillivray naturalist and ornithologist who worked with Audubon Sir James McGrigor physician military surgeon and botanist who founded the Royal Army Medical Corps Joseph Mitchell civil engineer Samuel Mitchill physician naturalist and member of the U S House of Representatives and Senate Friedrich Mohs geologist and mineralogist who devised Mohs scale of physical hardness Alexander Monro tertius surgeon and anatomist who taught Darwin Sir William Parry Arctic explorer Marc Auguste Pictet physicist and meteorologist James Cowles Prichard ethnologist and physician William Scoresby whaler Arctic explorer and clergyman Robert Stevenson lighthouse engineer Thomas Stewart Traill physician natural historian and scholar of medical jurisprudence James Watt pioneer of the industrial revolution William Hyde Wollaston physicist chemist and physiologist who discovered Rhodium and PalladiumReferences edit a b c Scholarly Societies Project Archived 2012 02 04 at the Wayback Machine Wernerian Natural History Society a b Navigational Aids for the History of Science Technology amp the Environment Archived 2007 06 12 at the Wayback Machine Records of the Wernerian Natural History Society UK a b Sweet Jessie M The Wernerian Natural History Society in Edinburgh Freiberger Forschungshefte Reihe C 1967 223 205 218 Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society Vol 1 for the years 1808 9 10 National Library of Scotland Scottish Book Trade Index Archived 2007 09 13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wernerian Natural History Society amp oldid 1150209198, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
