Fourcroy, Antoine-François (Comte De)

Antoine-François Fourcroy was born in France in 1755 and grew up in poverty. He studied medicine, assisted financially by a benefactor, and received a medical degree in 1780. He was appointed professor of chemistry in 1784 at the Jardin du Roi, later Jardin des Plantes, and still later Museum National d’ Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He worked with Lavoisier and others in studying chemicals of animal and plant products, classifying them, and reforming the system of chemical nomenclature. He published major works on chemistry in 1792 and 1801. He also was interested in the classification of animals, and published (1785) “Entomologia Parisiensis; sive catalogus insectorum quae in agro Parisiensi reperiuntur; secundum method Geoffraeanam...” in two volumes; Geoffroy contributed descriptions of new species in pages 1–231 of the first volume. He was a strong supporter of the French revolution, held public offices in it, and became director-general of public education in 1901. In 1908, he...