| Authorised form of name | Geoffroy; Etienne Francois (1672 - 1731); physician and chemist |
| Other forms of name | Geoffroy the Elder (l’Aîné) |
| Dates | 1672 - 1731 |
| Nationality | French |
| Place of birth | Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe |
| Date of birth | 13 February 1672 |
| Place of death | Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe |
| Date of death | 06 January 1731 |
| Occupation | Apothecary; Physician |
| Research field | Chemistry |
| Medicine |
| Activity | Education:
Montpellier; qualified as an apothecary (1694); Paris; MD (1704)
Career:
Travelled to England with the Comte de Tallard, Ambassador Extraordinary to Charles II (1698); travelled to Holland; accompanied the Abbe de Louvois to Italy as his personal physician; corresponded with Sir Hans Sloane (FRS 1685) on behalf of the Academie des Sciences; travelled to Italy (1700); Professor of Chemistry, Jardin du Roi (1707-1730); Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine, College de France (1709-death); Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Paris (1726-1729)
Memberships:
Academie Royale des Sciences (1699) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 06/07/1698 |
| Age at election | 26 |
| Proposer | Sir Hans Sloane |
| Relationships | Parents: Mathieu-François Geoffroy, Apothecary, of Paris, Louise (née Devaux)
Siblings: Claude Joseph Geoffroy (FRS 1715)
Spouse: Barbe Angélique Lézier (1705)
Children: Étienne Louis Geoffroy (1725-1810), also Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the College de France; two daughters |
| OtherInfo | Geoffroy promoted the work of English and German chemists in France but also facilitated regular exchanges among European scientists. As a Royal Society member, he shared Parisian advancements with English colleagues and presented English work to the academicians. In chemistry, Geoffroy combined traditional alchemical ideas with innovation, introducing a groundbreaking method of tabulating substances with constant ratios, known as the "table of affinities." This classification system significantly influenced chemical work for over a century, marking a shift from substantialism to defining substances by their circulation in various combinations. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DSB; Hunter; NBG; DBF
References:
Jean Jacquot, 'Sir Hans Sloane and French Men of Science' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 85-98
J S Rowlinson, 'Le Sage's Essai de chymie mechanique' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 35-45
Notes:
Proposed by Sir Hans Sloane. Spelling 'Etienne' from Hunter and DSB; 'Estienne' appears in both R and index to BR. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/17213123 |
| Code | NA8417 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| CLP/11i/41 | Paper, 'Two experiments of liquids' by Mr [Etienne Francois] Geoffroy | [1690s] |
| EL/G1/70 | Letter, from Monsieur Geoffroy to Hans Sloane, dated at Paris | 9 September 1699 |
| EL/G1/71 | Letter, from Monsieur Geoffroy to Hans Sloane, dated at Paris | 1700 |
| EL/G1/72 | Letter, from Monsieur Geoffroy to Hans Sloane, dated at Paris | 28 May 1700 |
| EL/G1/69 | Letter, from Monsieur Geoffroy to Hans Sloane, dated at Paris | 10 June 1699 |