Emil Weilshäuser

Emil Weilshäuser (31 July 1827 – unknown) was a German publisher, writer, translator and lebensreformer ("life reformer") who advocated for vegetarianism. He was a leading figure in the early German vegetarianism movement and published and translated a number of English-language works about vegetarianism into German. He also authored several works on the subject, including a vegetarian cookbook. Weilshäuser served as President of the Vegetarian Society of Germany from 1882 to 1885 and was a member of the British Vegetarian Society and Victoria Street and International Anti-Vivisection Society.

Life and work
Emil Weilshäuser was born in Oppeln, Silesia, on 31 July 1827, as the sixth child in a family where his father was a printer. Educated at the local gymnasium, he learned printing in his father's office. His eldest brother, Gustave, a lifelong vegetarian who died in 1890, influenced him. In May 1844, he lent Weilshäuser Wilhelm Zimmerman's Way to Paradise, which solidified his commitment to vegetarianism. Despite early opposition from his father, reading Gustav Struve's Mandara's Wanderungen and Jean-Antoine Gleizes's Thalysie further reinforced his beliefs. He translated Thalysie into German but struggled to find a publisher.

In 1850, Weilshaeuser emigrated to Texas with fellow Silesians but returned the following year due to the challenges of maintaining his vegetarianism. From 1855 to 1862, he ran a printing office in Neustadt, Silesia. After several failed business attempts, he retired with a modest income, realizing his true talent did not lie in business. Weilshäuser published several influential works in the German vegetarian movement between 1855 and 1861. His most notable work was the twelve-volume Familienbibliothek: Gesundheit, Wohlstand, und Gluck ("Family Library: Health, Wealth, and Happiness") containing translations of major treatises on vegetarianism and hygiene by prominent authors such as O. S. Fowler, Lydia Fowler, R. G. Gammage, Sylvester Graham, William Horsell, F. R. Lees, T. L. Nichols, A. Nicholson, James Scholefield, John Smith, Laroy Sunderland, and F. Towgood.

The first use of the German word for vegetarianism ("vegetarianismus") in a book is attributed to an 1855 work published by Weilshäuser, Was ist Vegetarianismus?,  a translation of William Horsell's What is Vegetarianism?. An appendix, published in 1856, contained recipes from Vegetable Cookery by the English cookbook writer Martha Brotherton. In 1871, Weilshäuser authored a vegetarian cookbook, containing an extensive collection of recipes. It went through several editions, with later ones containing illustrations. In 1886, he authored a book arguing for vegetarianism from a scientific perspective, Wissenschaftliche Zeugnisse zu Gunsten der vegetarianischen Lebensweise ("Scientific evidence in favor of the vegetarian lifestyle").

Weilshäuser became a member of the British Vegetarian Society in October 1852, with his declaration signed by James Simpson. He served as a Foreign Corresponding Secretary of the society. Weilshäuser was also an Honorary Corresponding Member of the Victoria Street and International Anti-Vivisection Society (later the National Anti-Vivisection Society). In 1870, Weilshäuser published a pamphlet, translated from English, which criticized vivisection.

In 1868, he brought the debate in England and America about allowing women to be doctors to the wider public in Germany, with his paper "Weibliche Ärzte fü Frauen" ("Female Doctors for Women"). In his speech, he quoted English physician Dr. James Edmunds at the opening of the Female Medical Society in London, predicting the reaction of German opponents to women studying medicine: "Although fulfilling our desire would honor the insight of highly civilized nations, as with any new reform, the voices of opponents can multiply from the toad pond of old prejudices.".

Weilshäuser later returned to Oppeln. He attended the inaugural meeting of the Vegetarian Society of Germany in May 1869. In January 1882, he was elected its president, following the death of Eduard Baltzer, and remained in the post for three years.

The date of Weilshäuser's death is unknown.

Selected publications

 * Was ist Vegetarianismus? Eine Beleuchtung dieses Universal-Princips (translation of William Horsell's "What is Vegetarianism?"; 1855)
 * Vegetarisches Kochbuch ("Vegetarian Cookbook"; 1871)
 * Weibliche Aerzte für Frauen, Mädchen und Kinder Ein Wort zur Beherzigung für alle wahren Freunde des socialen Fortschritts ("Female doctors for women, girls and children: A word to heed for all true friends of social progress"; with Russell Thacher Trall; 1868)
 * Wissenschaftliche Zeugnisse zu Gunsten der vegetarianischen Lebensweise ("Scientific evidence in favor of the vegetarian lifestyle"; 1886)