Zoological company of France

The zoological Société of France is a Learned society devoted to the founded Zoologie in 1876. It publishes a Bulletin and decrees the Prix Gadeau de Kerville of the zoological Company of France.

Origins

It is considered sometimes that the appearance of the learned societies specialized during the 19th century is an answer to the increasing complexity of the science which the Academy of Science or the Royal Society could not answer, if this factor is exact, it is not therefore only. The scientific companies created at the 19th century, without exception, are almost rested by only one man: Charles Adolphe Würtz (1817-1884) for the chemical Company of France and Paul Broca (1824-1880) for the Société of anthropology of Paris it is the case also of the zoological Company of France with Aime Bouvier (??? - 1919), commercial naturalist and hunter of deer.

To promote the launching of the Company, a circular is published, signed by forty fortunate people, amateurs. This text wishes to advance the descriptive zoology . However this one is not with the honor near the professional zoologists: only one professor of the national Natural history museum of natural history, Edmond Perrier (1844-1921), and only one professor of university, Jacques-Amand Eudes-Deslongchamps (1794-1867), answered this call favorably. This inintérêt expressed by the largest specialists did not encourage the young zoologists, as the naturalists assistances of the Natural history museum, to adhere to the Company, because it did not make it possible to attend influential personalities and the reputation of its bulletin was very modest. Almost the totality of the first members were the notable ones: shareholders, judges, politicians, doctors, tradesmen, officers, etc. Wasn't this composition rare and corresponded to that which one then met in other companies like the entomological Société of France created in 1832? or the botanical Company of France created in 1854.

The first meeting is held in the apartment of Aime Bouvier on June 8th, 1876. Chaired by Jules Vian (1815-1904), it joins together in particular Felix Pierre Jousseaume (1835-1921), Louis Bureau (1847-1936), Eugene Simon (1848-1924), Raphaël Blanchard (1857-1919) and Fernand Lataste (1847-1934). The score of present votes the statutes, the office and obtained Jules Vian as president. Two years later, the Company counted more than 160 members of which a quarter from abroad. The meetings of the Company very early attracted distinguished visitors like the emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, on June 1st, 1877.

The Company underwent its first crisis in October 1878 with the discovery of a lack in the treasury of approximately 5.000 Francs. One showed Aimé Bouvier the responsibility for the various problems that the investigation révélat like the disappearance of certain contributions never versed to the case of the Company but also the disappearance of booklets of the Bulletin like volumes of the library. Herdsman presents his resignation in 1880, it is accompanied by many others of which this of Edmond Perrier. The members remaining call then and again Jules Vian with the presidency of the Company.

The influence of Raphaël Blanchard

It is Fernand Lataste and Raphaël Blanchard, two young researchers in Histologie, who will give a true rise to the Company. Lataste writes into 1880 that they are not only any more some branches but the very whole zoology, under all its faces, descriptive and geographical, systematic and anatomical or physiological doit to enter our attributions . The company not being able to remain in the apartment of Aime Bouvier settles in the buildings of the geological Société of France.

This one will be devoted in particular to work having to lead to the adoption of a code of zoological rule of nomenclature. The Company presents its proposals at the time of a congress to Bologna in 1881 (among those, obligation to add brackets in the name of the author of a species if this one changed kind). This diversification of its centers of interest appears in the articles published in the Bulletin : the first article of experimental zoophysiology is published in 1886 and is signed by Raphaël Dubois, the first great work of histology appears in 1895 pennies the feather of Hetch. The Bulletin is also the occasion to describe the discoveries made by the scientific exhibitions of the Travailleur and the Talisman . In 1888, under the impulse of Raphaël Blanchard and Jules de Guerne (1855-1931), the Company obtains a new publication, its Mémoires in order to publish the most important work there.

The number of members increased and passed by 161 into 1878,270 in 1889 and 367, a record, in 1897. The rise of the Company carries a heavy blow to others learned societies and in particular to the philomathic Société of Paris.

Alphonse Milne-Edwards (1835-1900) receives French government the means of organizing a great international congress of zoology in 1889 at the time of the World Fair. This one turns to the zoological Company of France for the organization of this demonstration, Milne-Edwards by taking the presidency. The zoological code of nomenclature is not ratified by the congress, because of opposition of the German zoologists, preferring their own system. It will result twenty years from them from conflicts.

The company remains, until the end of the century, a company of middle-class man, male and Parisian

Beginning of the XXe century at the Second world war

The composition as the activity of the Company deeply will change at the beginning of the XXe century. Raphaël Blanchard becomes professor of university and must resign of the position of secretary general. It is Jules Guiart who succeeds to him. The last president amateur, Decayed Paul (1876-1931), is elected in 1923. In 1937, the presidency is held for the first time by a woman, Marie Phisalix (1861-1946). In 1938, the number of members is of 390.

France and Algeria counted less than 30 pulpits of zoology the shortly after the First World War while manpower did not exceed 150 people.

Five of its members were seen decreeing the Nobel Prize: Alphonse Laveran (1845-1922), Andre Lwoff (1902-1994), Elias Metschnikoff (1845-1916), Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) and Charles Robert Richet (1850-1935).

Appendices

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