Life

Scouler, the son of a calico-printer, was born in Glasgow on 31 Dec. 1804. He received the rudiments of his education at Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan is a village and civil parish in central Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village's name means "cell of St. Barchan". It is known for its former weaving industry.- History :...

, but was sent very early to the university of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

. When his medical course there was completed, he went to Paris and studied at the Jardin des Plantes

Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...

.

On his return to England, Dr. (afterwards Sir) William Jackson Hooker

William Jackson Hooker

Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...

 secured for him an appointment as surgeon and naturalist on board the Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

's ship "William and Mary". The vessel sailed from London on 25 July 1824 for the Columbia river

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

, touching at Madeira, Rio, and the Galapagos. His companion on the voyage out and in many excursions at the several ports was the botanist, David Douglas

David Douglas

David Douglas was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died.-Early life:...

. Scouler's journal of the voyage reports the instruction he received from early workers on Vancouver's expedition, such as Archibald Menzies

Archibald Menzies

Archibald Menzies was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist.- Life and career :Menzies was born at Easter Stix in the parish of Weem, in Perthshire. While working with his elder brother William at the Royal Botanic Gardens, he drew the attention of Dr John Hope, professor of botany at...

, familiarising himself with the botany of the region and the preparation of specimens.
His stay at the Columbia river appears to have lasted from April to September 1825 (Edinb. Journ. Sci. vols. v. vi.). The voyage returned in the early part of 1826.

Soon after his return to England Scouler shipped as surgeon on the Clyde, a merchant vessel that went to Calcutta, touching by the way at the Cape and Madras.

On his return to Glasgow he settled down to practice (graduating M.D. in 1827), till he was appointed, 18 June 1829, 'professor of geology and natural history and mineralogy' in the Andersonian University (later part of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College). In 1834 he was appointed professor of mineralogy, and subsequently of geology, zoology, and botany, to the royal Dublin Society

Royal Dublin Society

The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...

, a post he held till his retirement on a pension in 1854, when he returned to Glasgow.

The state of his health in 1853 and 1854 induced him to visit Portugal; he also made a tour in Holland, and in later years visited Scandinavia. After his retirement he occasionally lectured, and he superintended the Andersonian Museum. He had been elected a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1829, and made LL.D. of Glasgow in 1850. He died at Glasgow on 13 Nov. 1871. He was buried at Kilbarchan.

Scouler was author of upwards of twenty papers on various natural history

Natural history

Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

 subjects and meteorology

Meteorology

Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...

 published between 1826 and 1852. He established, with two medical colleagues, the Glasgow Medical Journal, and in 1831 was one of the editors of Cheek's Edinburgh Journal of Natural and Geographical Science. He contributed notes and an appendix to the fourth edition of Dr. King's Principles of Geology explained, 8vo, Edinburgh, 1853. Scouleria, a genus of plants, and Scoulerite, a mineral, were named in his honour.

Other species epithets, such as Hypericum scouleri commemorate his name. Scouler made large collections of specimens in the western regions of North America and the Galapagos.

He bequeathed his books, which included many of great rarity, to Stirling's Library, Glasgow.