Pierre-André Latreille

Pierre-André Latreille “studied theology and was ordained [as a] priest in 1786, after which he retired to Brives and spent his leisure in the study of entomology.” (4) 

"In 1790, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was declared. This law required clergymen to take an oath that they would guard with care the dioceses confided to them, support the constitution decreed by the National Assembly, and be loyal to the nation, to the law, and … to the king.” (3) For one reason or another, Fr. Latreille did not attend the oath ceremony, and was subsequently arrested. He “endured a long imprisonment, first in Brive then in Bordeaux (from November 1793 to January 1795).” (2) During his imprisonment, he noticed  a rare kind of beetle, and commented on it to the prison doctor. “The ... doctor was so impressed by [the young man's] knowledge that, according to geriwalton.com, “[the doctor] sent the beetle to a 15-year-old local naturalist named Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent. Bory de St.-Vincent was already well aware of Latreille’s remarkable work and because of Bory de St.-Vincent’s efforts, Latreille and one of his cellmates were released. This was fortunate because a month later Latreille’s other cellmates were executed.” I think the site is leaving something out, because a 15 year old man is not likely to have much power in local government, on average, but that may be my own modern biases.

“Latreille was also the first person to attempt to classify arthropods (an invertebrate animal like a insect or spider), and he added greatly to the number of known genera and then grouped the genera into families.” (3) His book, published in 1796, “marks the beginning of modern entomology,” and because of this he is known as the Father of Entomology. (1) Three years after he published the book, he became the head of the entomology department at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Then, “in 1829 he succeeded Jean Lamarck as professor of zoology in crustaceans, arachnids, and insects at the National Museum of Natural History.” (1)

Links

 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Andre-Latreille 

 https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.en.19.010174.000245 

 https://www.geriwalton.com/pierre-andre-latreille-how-a-beetle-saved-an-imprisoned-entomologist/ 

  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09035b.htm 

Louis Receuver

Jean François, Count of Lapérouse (also a Rear Admiral), commanded the world-spanning voyage at the behest of the reigning French King Louis in in 1785 as a French followup to the voyages of Captain Cook. The general scope of the mission was the Pacific, Asia, and Australia, with a secondary motive being to establish further trading contacts. However, the voyage ended up including such diverse locations as Chile, Russia, and Alaska--in addition to the general stipulations.4

They arrived at Botany Bay in 1788, sending off a report with the British ship Sirius and subsequently disappearing near the island of Vanikoro where shipwrecks were subsequently discovered.

The voyage had two ships, the Astrolabe (spelling varies) and the Boussole.4 The
As the purpose of the trip was scientific, Lapérouse brought a selection of scientists along, 17 to be specific.3 There were two priests along as well, Fathers Louis Receveur and Jean André Mongez.2 Both priests acted as scientists in addition to their religious duties. Receveur was a Franciscan Friar who had surprising experience in a variety of scientific fields despite his youth, twenty one or so at the start of the voyage. Prior to the journey, Receuver had

At the start of the voyage, Receuver was offered  a double paycheck, one for being a chaplain and the second for acting as a natural historian. He acted tireleslessly in his scientific role, observing the geological formations when unable to do anything else, and ascending mountains to expand his knowledge of the area.1 His attitude towards gathering data earned him praise from his commanders and meant he was frequently included on the expeditions to land.

All the scientists took every opportunity to gather information, but eventually the expedition as a whole ran into trouble in 1788, a dozen members killed by natives at the Samoan Island of Tutuila, including a senior scientist.1 2 3  Receuver probably survived this attack, but died within a fortnight after, possibly because of the injuries sustained.2 3


Works Referenced
Pere Louis Receuver http://laperouse.info/recreation/receveur/
Receuver Laperouse & the First Fleet
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16956884
Receuver Monument https://laperouseheadland.com/receveur-monument/
The Voyage of La Perouse Round the World in the years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788,
1798 https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/blog/voyage-la-perouse-round-world-years-1785-1786-1787-and-1788-1798

René Just Haüy

France, (1743-1822)

René Just Haüy was a French mineralogist who studied pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity in crystals (1). He is “one of the founders of the study of crystallography” (1), and was a pioneer in the development of pyroelectricity. Pyroelectricity is created by applying temperature change to a crystal, (1a) while piezoelectricity is created by putting crystals under mechanical pressure (1b).

“He derived a ... theory of crystal structure” (1) based on repeated experiments, which he began after accidentally dropping a calcite sample and seeing the fragmentation of the crystal. He “subsequently applied his theory to the classification of minerals.” (1) Haüy built a coherent structural theory of advances made by other scientists based on the idea that crystals are built up by stacking together a basic structural unit. He found that the external form of a crystal does not determine its composition. He also established the law of symmetry and that “the forms of crystal are perfectly definite and based on fixed laws.” (4)

Haüy also studied theology, and by 1770 he was ordained a priest. He was nearly executed during the French Revolution for refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the new regime, and was imprisoned for it at the Seminaire de Saint-Firmin. (3, 4) Even so, Napoleon knew him well enough that he was willing to ask Haüy to write the book that became Traité de physique. 

 He published six major works from 1784 to 1817. These included the Traité de physique, published in 1803 at Napoleon’s request and Tableau compartif, a mineralogical classification published in 1809. It also includes the Essai, published in 1784.

Through his work he has earned the title Father of Modern Crystallography.


Works Referenced
(1) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Just-Hauy
(1a) https://www.britannica.com/science/pyroelectricity
(1b) https://www.britannica.com/science/piezoelectricity
(2) http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095924649
(3) http://www.scs.illinois.edu/xray_exhibit/books/hauy.php
(4) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07152a.htm

Jean-Baptiste Senderens

France, (1856–1937)

Jean-Baptiste Senderens was “a chemist, canon and Doctor of Science and Philosophy,” and “had great manual skill, consistency and perseverance” in his laboratory work.” (3) In 1899, Jean-Baptiste Senderens worked with Paul Sabatier (1) and developed a “method of organic synthesis employing hydrogenation and a heated nickel catalyst. [It is still] employed commercially for hydrogenating unsaturated vegetable oils to make margarine.” (4) Sabatier and Senderens had both studied under Filhol, a Professor of Chemistry in Toulouse, and it is said that their work is so close that it is impossible to distinguish the work of either man. (3)(0) Jean-Baptiste was “one of the most active workers in the field of contact catalysis.” (2) “In 1908 Poulenc Frères gave Senderens the title of Engineer and asked him to set up their laboratories and organic chemistry industry. Manufacturing was done at the Catholic University by three or four chemists working under Senderens” (3) “In 1923 Senderens was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour for his contributions to Poulenc's manufacture of war materials.” (3b) However, very little information can be found about him today, and while Sabatier was awarded a Nobel Prize (5), it is unclear what level of recognition Senderens got for doing an equitable amount of work on the same project.

Works Referenced
(1) Senderens, Jean Baptiste https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/senderens-jean-baptiste
(2) Obituary https://www.nature.com/articles/141148a0
(3) Jean Baptiste Senderens https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Senderens

(4) Sabatier-Senderens process http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100435402

(5) Paul Sabatier - Nobel Lecture https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1912/sabatier-lecture.html