Mathurin Jacques Brisson (; 30 April 1723 – 23 June 1806) was a French

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

and

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient wo ...

. Brisson was born at

Fontenay-le-Comte Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a po ...

. The earlier part of his life was spent in the pursuit of natural history; his published works in this field included ''Le Règne animal'' (1756) and the highly regarded ''Ornithologie'' (1760). As a young man, he was a disciple and assistant of René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur. For a period of time he was an instructor of physical sciences and natural history to the family of the monarch. He held the chair of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the

College of Navarre The College of Navarre (french: Collège de Navarre) was one of the colleges of the historic University of Paris, rivaling the Sorbonne and renowned for its library. History It was founded by Queen Joan I of Navarre in 1305, who provided for th ...

, and from 1759 was a member of the

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...

. A significant work involving the "

specific weight The specific weight, also known as the unit weight, is the weight per unit volume of a material. A commonly used value is the specific weight of water on Earth at , which is .National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (2005). ''Fu ...

of bodies" was his ''Pesanteur Spécifique des Corps'' (1787). In his investigations of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...

, Brisson was opposed to the theories of Priestley and Franklin.The English Cyclopædia: A New Dictionary of Universal Knowledge ..., Volume 6 edited
by Charles Knight He died at

Croissy-sur-Seine Croissy-sur-Seine (, literally ''Croissy on Seine'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a suburban town on the western outskirts of Paris. Many expatriates reside in Croissy, give ...

near Paris.

Publications

* * ''Ornithologia, sive Synopsis methodica sistens avium divisionem in ordines, sectiones, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates.'' Bauche, Paris, Leiden 1760–63, with engraved illustrations by

François-Nicolas Martinet François-Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800) was a French engineer, engraver and naturalist. Martinet engraved the plates for numerous works on natural history, especially ornithology. Notable in particular are those for ''l'Ornithologia, sive Synop ...

. * ''Supplementum Ornithologiæ sive Citationes, descriptionesque antea omissæ & species de novo adjectæ, ad suaquaque genera redactæ.'' Paris 1760. * ''Lettres de deux Espagnols sur les manufactures.'' Vergera 1769. * ''Dictionnaire raisonné de physique.'' Thou, Paris 1781–1800. * ''Observations sur les nouvelles découvertes aërostatiques.'' Lamy, Paris 1784. * ''Pesanteur spécifique des corps.'' Paris 1787. * ''Traité élémentaire ou Principes de physique.'' Moutard & Bossange, Paris 1789–1803. * ''Trattato elementare ovvero Principi di fisica.'' Grazioli, Florenz 1791. * ''Die spezifischen Gewichte der Körper.'' Leipzig 1795. * ''Suplemento al Diccionario universal de física.'' Cano, Madrid 1796–1802. * ''Principes élémentaires de l'histoire naturelle et chymique des substances minérales.'' Paris 1797. * ''Anfangsgründe der Naturgeschichte und Chemie der Mineralien.'' Mainz 1799. * ''Instruction sur les nouveaux poids et mesures.'' Paris 1799. * ''Elémens ou Principes physico-chymiques.'' Bossange, Paris 1800. * ''Elements of the natural history and chymical analysis of mineral substances.'' Ritchie, Walker, Vernor & Hood, London 1800. * ''Tratado elemental ó principios de física.'' Madrid 1803/04.

Sources

External links

*
Gallica
has a free digital download of Brisson, Mathurin-Jacques ''Ornithologia sive Synopsis methodica sistens avium divisionem in ordines, sectiones, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates'' Leiden (1760–1763) in Microforme The French word for Search is Recherche.
''Dictionnaire raisonné de physique, 2nd éd, Planches''
–

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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisson, Mathurin Jacques 1723 births 1806 deaths Natural philosophers French ornithologists French entomologists French zoologists Members of the French Academy of Sciences People from Fontenay-le-Comte 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers 19th-century French writers 18th-century philosophers 19th-century philosophers French male non-fiction writers 19th-century French male writers