Ancestry and Beginnings: The Early History of the American Society of Zoologists

SYNOPSIS. The American Society of Zoologists as we know it todaydescended from two immediate progenitors, the American MorphologicalSociety and the Western Branch of the American Society of Naturalists.The latter group was known during 1901 and 1902 as the Societyof American Zoologists. The two organizations formed the AmericanSociety of Zoologists at the American Society of Naturalists'1902 meeting in Washington, D.C. The American Society of Zoologistsfirst formed with two Branches, the Eastern and the Central.These two Branches merged into a single Society after the 1913meeting in Philadelphia.     

The Beginnings of the American Society of Zoologists

The American Society of Zoologists takes its origins from severalpreceding organizations, especially the American Society ofNaturalists and the American Morphological Society. Leadersof these parent groups were prominent among the founders ofthe American Society of Zoologists. The development of our presentSociety from its predecessors, and the roles played by our earlyleaders are briefly described in this paper.     

C. O. Whitman and the American Society of Zoologists

C. O. Whitman (1842–1910) studied under Louis Agassiz,Anton Dohrn, and Rudolph Leuchart. Under the influence of E.S. Morse, Whitman served as the second professor of zoologyat the University of Tokyo (1880–81). For three yearshe was assistant to Alexander Agassiz at the Museum of ComparativeZoology. Between 1883 and 1886 Whitman was editor of the Departmentof Microscopy for the American Naturalist. He became the firstdirector of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole,serving until 1908, and built that institution into an internationallyfamous center for education and research. He also became firstprofessor of Zoology at the University of Chicago where he remainedfor life. In 1887 he founded the Journal of Morphology, andlater Biological Lectures, and Zoological Bulletin which becamethe Biological Bulletin. His own research was in the fieldsof embryology, heredity, and evolution. In 1890 he, with colleagues,founded the American Morphological Society which became theAmerican Society of Zoologists over a period of 13 years (1901–13)by the union of regional groups. Whitman played a leading rolein the founding and early history of the Society.     

The American Society of Zoologists, 1889-1989: A Century of Integrating the Biological Sciences

The growth and development of the American Society of Zoologists(ASZ) came in an era of rapid expansion among the life sciences,as well as during a period when biologists were seeking to providethemselves with a united and effective voice. In ASZ's earlyyears it usually remained subsidiary, overshadowed by largerorganizations like the American Society of Naturalists or theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, and constrainedby its small enrollment to hold meetings in conjunction withthese larger societies. As ASZ's numbers increased, however,new members entered from many specialized fields, and it becamea focal organization for associations dedicated to such studiesas ecology, genetics, animal behavior, or systematic zoology.Much of ASZ's success in achieving its integrative status canbe attributed to the formation of divisions within the Society,each dedicating itself to the specialized interests of its ownmembers under the larger umbrella of zoology. This development,of course, paralleled the interaction between ASZ and the largersocial issues that have arisen during the century of the Society'shistory. ASZ has consistently concerned itself with just treatmentfor all, regardless of race or sex; with government supportof science; with the education of science teachers and of youngand talented biologists; and with all those issues that improvethe productivity of zoologists and enhance their capacity forreaching an ever deeper understanding of animal biology.     

The Return of the Phoenix: The 1963 International Congress of Zoology and American Zoologists in the Twentieth Century

This paper examines the International Congress of Zoology held in Washington D.C. in 1963 as a portrait of American zoologists’ search for effective and rewarding relationships with both each other and the public. Organizers of the congress envisioned the congress as a last ditch effort to unify the disparate subdisciplines of zoology, overcome the barriers of specialization, and ward off the heady claims of more reductionist biologists. The problems zoologists faced as they worked to fulfill these ambitious goals illuminate some of the challenges faced by members of the naturalist tradition as they worked to establish disciplinary unity while seeking public support in the competitive world of twentieth century science.     

The Role of History in Science

The case often made by scientists (and philosophers) against history and the history of science in particular is clear. Insofar as a field of study is historical as opposed to law-based, it is trivial. Insofar as a field attends to the past of science as opposed to current scientific issues, its efforts are derivative and, by diverting attention from acquiring new knowledge, deplorable. This case would be devastating if true, but it has almost everything almost exactly wrong. The study of history and the study of laws are not mutually exclusive, but unavoidably linked. Neither can be pursued without the other. Much the same can be said of the history of science. The history of science is neither a distraction from “real” science nor even merely a help to science. Rather, the history of science is an essential part of each science. Seeing that this is so requires a broader understanding of both history and science.