William Samuel Waithman Ruschenberger (4 September 1807 in

Cumberland County, New Jersey Cumberland County is a coastal county located on the Delaware Bay in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 154,152, making it the 16th-largest of the state's 21 counties. Its county seat is Bridg ...

– 24 March 1895 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

) was a surgeon for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, a naturalist, and an author.

Biography

After attending schools in Philadelphia and New York Ruschenberger entered the United States Navy with the rank of surgeon's mate, on 10 August 1826. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1830, and was commissioned as a

naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Speciali ...

on 4 April 1831. In 1836 he was posted aboard USS ''Peacock'', and accompanied the second mission of diplomatist Edmund Roberts to

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

and

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

. He was subsequently fleet surgeon of the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

between 1835 and 1837. From 1840 to 1842 Ruschenberger was attached to the naval facility at Philadelphia, and then the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

hospital between 1843 and 1847. In 1849, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. He was again fleet surgeon of the East India Squadron 1847–1850, of the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

1854–1857, and of the Mediterranean Squadron from August 1860 until July 1861. During the intervals between cruises he was on duty at Philadelphia. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he was surgeon of the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. He was on special duty at Philadelphia 1865–1870, was the senior officer in the medical corps 1866–1869, and was retired on 4 September 1869. He was president of the

Academy of Natural Sciences The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...

of Philadelphia 1870–1882, and president of the

College of Physicians of Philadelphia The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest private medical society in the United States. Founded in 1787 by 24 Philadelphia physicians "to advance the Science of Medicine, and thereby lessen human misery, by investigating the disease ...

1879–1883. He was commissioned medical director on the retired list on 3 March 1871. Dr. Ruschenberger published some of the results of his investigations during his cruises, by which he had acquired a wide reputation. He also served as a member of the Board of Appointments whose purpose was to form rules and plans for the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

. Dr. Ruschenberger rose to the rank of commodore before he retired. He wrote several works based on his service in the Pacific and along the coast of South America. He was a contributor to

Samuel George Morton Samuel George Morton (January 26, 1799 – May 15, 1851) was an American physician, natural scientist, and writer who argued against the single creation story of the Bible, monogenism, instead supporting a theory of multiple racial creations, poly ...

's work on the "science" of race. He dedicated A Voyage Around the World to Morton and in return Morton dedicated his Crania Americana to Ruschenberger.

Legacy

A species of New World boa, ''

Corallus ruschenbergerii ''Corallus ruschenbergerii'', commonly known as the Central American tree boa, common tree boa, and Trinidad tree boa, is a boa species found in lower Central America and northern South America. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all b ...

'', is named in his honor.

Works

*
Three Years in the Pacific
' (Philadelphia, 1834; 2 vols., London, 1835) *
A Voyage around the World including an Embassy to Muscat and Siam in 1835, 1836 and 1837

(Philadelphia, 1838)
*
Elements of Herpetology, and of Ichthyology
' (with

Henri Milne-Edwards Henri Milne-Edwards (23 October 1800 – 29 July 1885) was an eminent French zoologist. Biography Henri Milne-Edwards was the 27th child of William Edwards, an English planter and colonel of the militia in Jamaica and Elisabeth Vaux, a Frenchw ...

and Achille Comté; 1844) * ''Elements of Natural History'' (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1850) * ''A Lexicon of Terms used in Natural History'' (1850)
''A brief history of an existing controversy on the subject of assimilated rank in the Navy of the United States''
(1850) * ''A Notice of the Origin, Progress, and Present Condition of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' (1852) * ''Notes and Commentaries during Voyages to Brazil and China, 1848'' (Richmond, 1854) He also published numerous articles on naval rank and organization (1845–1850), and contributed papers to medical and scientific journals. He edited the American edition of Mrs. Somerville's ''Physical Geography'', with additions and a glossary (1850; new ed., 1853). With regard to the opening of

Thailand–United States relations Bilateral relations between the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand and the United States, United States of America date back to 1818. Thailand and the United States have long been close allies and diplomatic partners. According to a 2012 Gallup (com ...

, the accounts of Dr. Ruschenberger and Mr. Roberts were collected, edited and re-published as ''Two Yankee Diplomats In 1830s Siam.'' *

Notes

References

* * William Ruschenberger, ''Three Years in the Pacific''. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea, & Blanchard, 1834. *

Matthew Fontaine Maury Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806February 1, 1873) was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and i ...

. ''Physical Geography of the Sea'', sect.433-34,

USNO United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

External links