Lavoisier: Chemist, Biologist, Economist (Chemical Sciences in Society Series) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Jean-Pierre Poirier (Author), Rebecca Balinski (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0812233654 | ISBN-13: 978-0812233650 | Publication Date: January 1997 | Edition: illustrated edition

On the day following the guillotining of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange lamented the loss of the man commonly considered the father of modern chemistry. "It took them only an instant to cut off that head," he said, "but it is unlikely that a hundred years will suffice to reproduce a similar one."

Although he lived only to the age of 51, Lavoisier revolutionized the field of chemistry. He created the first modern table of chemical elements, recognized the role oxygen plays in the rusting of metals, demonstrated that water—previously considered one of the four fundamental elements—is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, and asserted that the total weights of the products of a chemical reaction must equal the total weights of the reactants.

Yet despite his remarkable importance to modern chemistry, Lavoisier's scientific work was more a hobby than a profession. In fact, because he made his living as a tax collector, his scientific work was relegated to early morning and after-dinner hours. Appropriately, the picture Poirier paints of Lavoisier is that of the whole man—not only a scientist but a successful financier, respected economist, and influential administrator as well.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this revised and translated edition of his 1993 work, Poirier sets out to "write a complete biography of Lavoisier, with the goal of establishing the links between the multidisciplinary activities of his brilliant mind and grasping the logic of his life and death." Poirier is suited to the task, having been an R&D director in the pharmaceutical industry, practiced medicine, and authored a doctoral thesis in economics on Lavoisier. To a great extent, he succeeds in tying together Lavoisier's disparate interests in chemistry, physiology, agriculture, finance, and politics, presenting them under the unifying theme of Lavoisier's use of methodical accounting systems as both a scientist and a civil servant. Comparable in scope to Arthur Donovan's Antoine Lavoisier: Science, Administration, and Revolution (Oxford Univ., 1993), this well-documented biography will find a place in any academic research library.?Wade Lee, Univ. of Toledo Libs., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Jean-Pierre Poirier has both a medical degree and a doctorate in economics. Formerly a practicing gastroenterologist and Director of Research at a French pharmaceutical company, he is a member of the Comite Lavoisier at the Paris Academy of Sciences. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 516 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr; illustrated edition edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812233654
• ISBN-13: 978-0812233650
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,856,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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