Pierre Louis Moreau De Maupertuis - a precursor of Mendelian genetics? : an inquiry into the biological ideas of Maupertuis, the Mendelian principles of heredity and the nature of the percursor / by Iris Levine Sandler.

  • Sandler, Iris Levine, 1934-
Date:
1981
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Pierre Louis Moreau De Maupertuis - a precursor of Mendelian genetics? : an inquiry into the biological ideas of Maupertuis, the Mendelian principles of heredity and the nature of the percursor / by Iris Levine Sandler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    biography written by La Beaumelle:^ M. de Maupertuis had an appearance which was displeasing at first glance. He was stocky; his body always in motion. His face was full, square, his eyes round and full of fire. He had an unequalled humor, a lively and dry conversation, and a scrupulous integrity. Good parent, tender husband, hard working academician, generous enemy, he had some faults and many virtues.^ J. P. Grandjean de Forchy, secretary of the Parisian Royal Academy of Science wrote an ¿loge for Maupertuis in which he described Maupertuis as one who: ...was always one of tlie most hardworking of the members... the limits prescribed by this ¿loge permit rae to give only a very slight idea of all of his work,..** The range of Maupertuis' Interests is enormous. His collected works^ include articles on pure mathematics, astronomy, practical problems in navigation, experiments and speculations in the area of natural his¬ tory, philosophical questioni involving morality and epistemology and on occasion, caustic satire (written anonymously). No subject was too great or too small to escape his discerning eye and inquiring mind. A basic component of disquiet and discontent inherent in Maupertuis' personality is suggested by de Fouchy in the following passage: Covered in all the titles which the state could give to him, honored by the generosity and kindness of his king, enjoying the trust of ministers and the esteem of the public, admired and sought out by the greatest and most Illustrious people, it only required that Maupertuis enjoy all this bounty in his country, among his own people; but he had within him the most unreconcilable enemy of happiness...® And de Fouchy continues: he was singularly vivacious, and this always appeared in his manner; his conversation was, when he wished it.