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Jean-André Deluc or de Luc (8 February 1727 – 7 November 1817) was a Swiss geologist, natural philosopher and
meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
. He also devised
measuring instrument A measuring instrument is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Est ...
s.


Biography

Jean-André Deluc was born in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
. His family had come to the
Republic of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...
from
Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...
, Italy, in the 15th century. His mother was Françoise Huaut. His father, Jacques-François Deluc, had written in refutation of
Bernard Mandeville Bernard Mandeville, or Bernard de Mandeville (; 15 November 1670 – 21 January 1733), was an Anglo-Dutch philosopher, political economist and satirist. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, he lived most of his life in England and used English for ...
and other rationalistic writers, but he was also a decided supporter of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As a student of Georges-Louis Le Sage, Jean-André Deluc received a basic education in mathematics and in natural philosophy. He engaged early in business, which occupied a large part of his first adult years, with the exception of scientific investigation in the Alps. With the help of his brother Guillaume-Antoine, he built a splendid collection of
mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
and
fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
. Deluc also took part in politics. In 1768, sent on an embassy to the
duc de Choiseul {{Unreferenced, date=April 2019 Choiseul is an illustrious noble family from Champagne, France, descendants of the comtes of Langres. The family's head was Renaud III de Choiseul, comte de Langres and sire de Choiseul, who in 1182 married Alix ...
in Paris, he succeeded in gaining the duke's friendship. In 1770 he became a member of the
Council of Two Hundred The Councils of Two Hundred (; ) were the legislative authorities in four Swiss cities (Zürich, Bern, Fribourg, Basel), as well as in the independent Republic of Geneva prior to the French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a peri ...
in Geneva. Three years later, business reverses forced him to leave his native town; he returned, briefly, only once. The change freed him for non-scientific pursuits; with little regret he moved to Great Britain in 1773, where he was appointed reader to
Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
, a position he held for forty-four years and that afforded him both leisure and income. Despite his duties at court, he was given leave to make several tours of Switzerland, France, Holland and Germany. At the beginning of his German tour (1798–1804), he was distinguished with an honorary professorship of philosophy and geology at the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
, which helped to cover diplomatic missions for the king George III. Back to Britain, he undertook a geological tour of the country (1804–1807). In 1773 Deluc was made a
fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...
; he was a correspondent of the
French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at ...
and a member of several other
learned societies A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...
. He died at
Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west ...
, England, in 1817, after nearly 70 years of research. Deluc, an
impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...
on the Moon, was given his name.


Scientific contributions


Observations and theory

Deluc's main interests were geology and meteorology;
Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in na ...
mentions him as an authority on the former subject. His major geological work, ''Lettres physiques et morales sur les montagnes et sur l'histoire de la terre et de l'homme'' (6 vol., 1778–1780), was dedicated to Queen Charlotte. He published volumes on geological travels: in northern Europe (1810), in England (1811), and in France, Switzerland and Germany (1813). Deluc noticed the disappearance of heat in the thawing of ice about the same time that
Joseph Black Joseph Black (16 April 1728 – 6 December 1799) was a Scottish physicist and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was Professor of Anatomy and Chemistry at the University of Glas ...
made it the foundation of his hypothesis of
latent heat Latent heat (also known as latent energy or heat of transformation) is energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system, during a constant-temperature process — usually a first-order phase transition. Latent heat can be underst ...
. He ascertained that water was densest at about 5 °C (and not at the freezing temperature). He was the originator of the theory, later reactivated by
John Dalton John Dalton (; 5 or 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his research into Color blindness, colour blindness, which ...
, that the quantity of
water vapour (99.9839 °C) , - , Boiling point , , - , specific gas constant , 461.5 J/( kg·K) , - , Heat of vaporization , 2.27 MJ/kg , - , Heat capacity , 1.864 kJ/(kg·K) Water vapor, water vapour or aqueous vapor is the gaseous pha ...
contained in any space is independent of the presence or density of the air, or of any other elastic fluid. His book ''Lettres sur l'histoire physique de la terre'' (Paris, 1798), addressed to Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, develops a theory of the Earth divided into six periods modelled on the six days of Creation. It contains an essay on the existence of a General Principle of Morality and gives an interesting account of conversations with
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...
and
Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
. Deluc was an ardent admirer of
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
, on whose writings he published two works: ''Bacon tel qu'il est'' (Berlin, 1800), showing the bad faith of the French translator, who had omitted many passages favourable to revealed religion, and ''Précis de la philosophie de Bacon'' (2 vols 8vo, Paris, 1802), giving an interesting view of the progress of natural science. ''Lettres sur le christianisme'' (Berlin and Hanover, 1803) was a controversial correspondence with
Wilhelm Abraham Teller Wilhelm Abraham Teller (9 January 17349 December 1804) was a German Protestant theologian who championed a rational approach to Christianity. Life and career Teller was born in Leipzig. His father, Romanus Teller (1703–1750), was a pastor at Le ...
of Berlin in regard to the
Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
cosmogony Cosmogony is any model concerning the origin of the cosmos or the universe. Overview Scientific theories In astronomy, cosmogony refers to the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used ...
. His ''Traité élémentaire de géologie'' (Paris, 1809, translated into English by Henry de la Fite the same year) was principally intended as a refutation of
James Hutton James Hutton (; 3 June O.S.172614 June 1726 New Style. – 26 March 1797) was a Scottish geologist, agriculturalist, chemical manufacturer, naturalist and physician. Often referred to as the father of modern geology, he played a key role ...
and
John Playfair John Playfair FRSE, FRS (10 March 1748 – 20 July 1819) was a Church of Scotland minister, remembered as a scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known for his book ''Illu ...
. They had shown that geology was driven by the operation of internal heat and erosion, but their system required much more time than Deluc's
Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
variety of
neptunism Neptunism is a superseded scientific theory of geology proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) in the late 18th century, proposing that rocks formed from the crystallisation of minerals in the early Earth's oceans. The theory took i ...
allowed. Many other papers are in the ''Journal de Physique'', in the ''Philosophical Transactions'' and in the ''
Philosophical Magazine The ''Philosophical Magazine'' is one of the oldest scientific journals published in English. It was established by Alexander Tilloch in 1798;John Burnett"Tilloch, Alexander (1759–1825)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Univer ...
''.


Instruments

Deluc dedicated a large part of his activity to perfecting or inventing
measuring instrument A measuring instrument is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Est ...
s. He devised a portable barometer for use in geological expeditions. His ''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère'' (2 vols. 4to, Geneva, 1772; 2nd ed., 4 vols. Paris, 1784) contain experiments on moisture, evaporation and the indications of
hygrometer A hair tension dial hygrometer with a nonlinear scale. A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of water vapor in air, in soil, or in confined spaces. Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other q ...
s and
thermometer A thermometer is a device that measures temperature or a temperature gradient (the degree of hotness or coldness of an object). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb of a mercury-in-glass thermometer ...
s. He applied the
barometer A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...
to the determination of heights. The ''
Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
'' published his account of a new hygrometer, which resembled a mercurial thermometer, with an ivory bulb, which expanded by moisture, and caused the mercury to descend. He later devised a whalebone hygrometer which sparked a bitter controversy with Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, himself inventor of a hair hygrometer. He gave the first correct rules for measuring heights with the help of a barometer. Deluc advocated the use of mercury, instead of alcohol, in thermometers. In 1809 he sent a long paper to the Royal Society on separating the chemical from the electrical effect of the
dry pile upright=1.2, Schematic diagram of a copper–zinc voltaic pile. The copper and zinc discs were separated by cardboard or felt spacers soaked in salt water (the electrolyte). Volta's original piles contained an additional zinc disk at the bottom, ...
, a form of
Voltaic pile upright=1.2, Schematic diagram of a copper–zinc voltaic pile. The copper and zinc discs were separated by cardboard or felt spacers soaked in salt water (the electrolyte). Volta's original piles contained an additional zinc disk at the bottom, ...
, with a description of the electric column and aerial electroscope, in which he advanced opinions contradicting the latest discoveries of the day; they were deemed inappropriate to admit into the ''Transactions''. The dry column described by Deluc was constructed by various scientists and his improvement of the dry pile has been regarded as his most important work, although he was not in fact its inventor. He was a valued mentor to the young
Francis Ronalds Sir Francis Ronalds FRS (21 February 17888 August 1873) was an English scientist and inventor, and arguably the first electrical engineer. He was knighted for creating the first working electric telegraph over a substantial distance. In 1816 ...
, who published several papers on dry piles in 1814–15. File:Deluc-1.jpg, 1772 copy of volumes 1 and 2 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''" File:Deluc-2.jpg, Title page of a 1772 copy of volume 1 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''" File:Deluc-3.jpg, Table of contents page of a 1772 copy of volume 1 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''" File:Deluc-7.jpg, Dedication to a 1772 copy of volume 1 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''" File:Deluc-8.jpg, Dedication to a 1772 copy of volume 1 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''" File:Deluc-5.jpg, First page of a 1772 copy of volume 1 of "''Recherches sur les modifications de l'atmosphère''"


Scriptural and observational data

The last decades of Deluc's life were occupied with theological considerations. In his controversy with Hutton, "while never arguing that Hutton was an atheist, Deluc did accuse him of failing to counter
atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...
sufficiently". He took care in reconciling observational data and the Scriptures considered as a description of the history of the world. In his ''Lettres physiques et morales'' he explained the six days of the creation as epochs preceding the current state of the globe, and attributed the deluge to the filling up of cavities in the interior of the earth. The subject is discussed at length by Martina Kölbl-Ebert in ''Geology and Religion''.


See also

* History of geology#18th century *
Plutonism Plutonism is the geologic theory that the igneous rocks forming the Earth originated from intrusive magmatic activity, with a continuing gradual process of weathering and erosion wearing away rocks, which were then deposited on the sea bed, re-f ...


Bibliography


Selection

* "Account of a new hygrometer", ''Philosophical Transactions'', 63/2, 1773, p. 404–460. * "Barometrical observations on the depth of the mines in the Hartz", ''Philosophical Transactions'', 67/2, 1777, p. 401–550. * ''An essay on pyrometry and areometry and on physical measures in general'', London, Nichols, 1778–79 (2 vols). * (1809); translated by Henry De La Fite (d. 1831). *''Geological travels'', London, 1810–11 (3 vols): ''Travels in the north of Europe'' (vol. 1); ''Travels in England'' (vols 2 & 3). *''Experiments concerning the electric machine: showing the electric effects of frictions between bodies'', London, 1811. *''Geological travels in some parts of France, Switzerland, and Germany'': vol. 1 (1813) (nos. 1–453), vol. 2 (1813) (nos. 454–844), vol. 3 (1811) (nos. 935–1417) on
Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...
There is some confusion in the numbering of volumes by Google Books (August 2013). *''Letters on the physical theory of the earth, addressed to Professor Blumenbach'', London, 1831 (With introductory remarks and illustrations by Henry De La Fite).


Lists of online works


List
of online works on e-rara.ch.
Articles
published in the
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
. * Jean-André Deluc (1779–1780) ''Lettres physiques et morales sur l'histoire de la terre et de l'homme, 5 vol.'' – digital facsimile from the
Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...
* Jean-André Deluc (1810–1811) ''Geological Travels. 3 vol.'' (English) – digital facsimile from the
Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...


References

* * Harrison, William Jerome. * Heilbron, John L.; Sigrist, René (ed.). ''Jean-André Deluc, historian of earth and man''. Geneva: Slatkine 2011. * Michaud, Joseph-François; Michaud, Louis Gabriel. "Luc (Jean-André de)". ''Biographie universelle, ancienne et moderne'', vol. 25. 1820 * Sigrist, René. "Deluc, Jean-André". ''Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse'' . Also available in German and Italian.


External links

* Jean-Andre DeLuc papers (MS 179). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Librar


{{DEFAULTSORT:Deluc, Jean-Andre 1727 births 1817 deaths 18th-century scientists from the Republic of Geneva Politicians from the Republic of Geneva Philosophers from the Republic of Geneva Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the French Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Copley Medal 19th-century Swiss geologists Swiss meteorologists