Elliott Coues

Elliott Coues ( born September 9, 1842 in Portsmouth as Samuel Elliot Coues, New Hampshire, † December 25, 1899 in Baltimore, Maryland ) was a U.S. Army surgeon, historian, ornithologist, author and Theosophist.

Career and Jobs

Coues was born in Portsmouth (New Hampshire). He graduated in 1861 the Columbian University in Washington, DC and 1863, the Medical School of the same institution. 1862/63 he served as a medical cadet in Washington ( DC), and 1864 he finally became assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army. He published in 1872 his Key to North American Birds, which has contributed checked and re-laid in 1884 and 1901 much to the systematics of American ornithology. Coues was a respected surgeon 1873-76 and naturalist of the U.S. Northern Boundary Commission and 1876-80 Managing Director and naturalist of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, for which he also wrote publications. He was 1877-82 Lecturer in Anatomy at the Medical School of the Columbian University, where he received a professorship in 1882-87 in the same subject.

Coues came in 1881 from the army in order to indulge fully in scientific research can. He was a co-founder of the American Ornithologists ' Union and issued their press organ of The Auk and several other ornithological journals. He died in Baltimore after surgery in the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In addition to ornithology he made in the study of mammals deserves; his work Fur -Bearing Animals (1877 ) differed from other existing works in terms of accuracy and completeness of species descriptions, including some species that were rare even then. In the 1880s he became a member of the Society for Psychical Research.

As a theosophist

1880 Coues came into contact with Theosophy and joined in the summer of 1884, the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society, and thus (TG ) at. In the same year he founded in Washington ( DC) a box of TG, the Gnostic Lodge of the Theosophical Society ( Gnostic Lodge of the Theosophical Society ) whose president he became.,

Chairman of the Supervisory Council

Esoteric Theosophical Society of America and Gnostic Lodge

The Coues - Collins affair

Allegations in the New York Sun

The Blavatsky - Coulomb letters

In December 1885, the Society for Psychical Research, written by Richard Hodgson called the Hodgson Report, Blavatsky published heavily loaded. Hodgson was referring to in his accusations on the Coulomb affair. From the correspondence between Blavatsky and Emma Coulomb was supposed to emerge, Blavatsky was involved in serious fraud and forgery in the master's certificates. Although he had the opportunity and it would have been necessary in accordance with the principles of scientific work, Hodgson made ​​at no single facsimile of these letters. 1890 Coues bought from a dealer, the Blavatsky - Coulomb letters from the mission of the Free Church of Scotland in Chennai. The undersigned of Coues check for payment for these letters is preserved to this day, the letters themselves are, however, been heard of since. Vernon Harrison, who examined the Hodgson Report, brought the following in experience: page 82ff.

"As Coues led his process, he bought the Coulomb letters through a dealer of Scottish missionaries in India. I am in possession of a photocopy of his checks. The check is in the Coues archives of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. I have a microfilm all of his papers on Theosophy and the related things. The Coulomb letters are NOT in the archives. Now it was Coues intention in obtaining the letters to get a proof of his defense of HPB [ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky ] process in order to expose a fraud. His wife was a millionaire; and thus it was any professional resources available to overthrow HPB, if these letters were originals. Anyway, total silence - he never mentioned to possess them. Either he destroyed them in his lifetime or left instructions to his heirs, to destroy them. "

" Had they [ the Blavatsky - Coulomb letters ] genuine, they would have provided damning evidence of his [ Elliott Coues ] favor. He did not made ​​use of [ ... ] but by [ the ] circumstances related evidence that they were forgeries [ ... ] is strong. He [ Coues ] had both a subject and the ability to do that. I can not believe that Coues had not used the letters to harm HPB, if they had been genuine. Maybe it moved Coues - in the knowledge that they were useless to him - about to let destroy them before they would find their way into the camp of Blavatsky. "

After 1892 Coues came barely public appearance, his esoteric reputation was destroyed and also struck by the events in connection with the theosophy of his scientific reputation.

Works

• Outlines of a system of mechanical philosophy, being a research into the laws of force. Charles & Brown, Boston, 1851.
• A monograph of the Tringeae of North America. Philadelphia, 1861.
• On the osteology and Myology of Colymbus torquatus. Riverside, Cambridge, 1866.
• Prodrome of a work on the ornithology of Arizona Territory. Merrihew & son, Phildadelphia 1866.
• A monograph of the Alcidae. Philadelphia 1868.
• Bullock's oriole. Salem in 1871.
• Key to North American birds, Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary. Salem 1872.
• On the osteology and Myology of didelphys virginiana. Boston 1872.
• Birds of the Northwest, a handbook of the ornithology of the region drained by the Missouri river and its tributaries. Washington in 1874.
• Abstract of results of a study of the genera geomys and Thomomys, with addenda on the osteology of geomyidos and on the habits of geomys tusa. Washington in 1875.
• Report upon the collections of mammals made ​​in portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, falling on the years 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1874. Washington in 1875.
• Fur -bearing Animals, monograph of North American Mustelidae, in Which, on account of the Wolverene, the martens or sables, the ermine, the mink and various other kinds of weasels, several species of skunks, the badger, the land and sea otters Numerous exotic and allies of synthesis animals, is Contributed to the history of North American mammals. Washington in 1877.
• Monographs of North American Rodentia. Washington in 1877.
• A check list of North American birds. Putnam, Salem, 1879.
• The Coues check list of North American birds. Estes & Lauriat, Boston 1882.
• Biogen, a speculation on the origin and nature of life. Judd, Detweiler, Estes & Lauriat, Washington, Boston 1882-84.
• Avifauna Columbana, being a list of birds inhebit the District of Columbia. Webster, Washington in 1883.
• Can matt think? A problem- in psychics. Estes & Lauriat, Boston 1884.
• Kuthumi, the true and complete Oeconomy of human life, based on the theosophical system of ethics. Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1886.
• Handbook of field and general ornithology, a manual of the structure and classification of birds. Macmillan, London, 1890.