Recherches sur les causes des principaux faits physiques

LAMARCK, Jean-Baptiste de

Published by Maradan, Seconde Année de la République, Paris, 1794

About this Item

LAMARCK'S FIRST FULL-LENGTH TREATISE ON CHEMISTRY. First edition of the first of Lamarck's full-length treatise on chemistry, a copy with extensive near-contemporary annotations. "With the publication of the Recherches, Larmarck brought together the various strands of his work in physics and chemistry, and his views on the differences between organic and inorganic beings" (Corsi, The Age of Lamarck, pp. 47-48). "In this work Lamarck sets forth his views on the immutability of species and attacks the theory of the spontaneous origin of life. The book is interesting in the history of chemistry, because Lamarck attacks Lavoisier's anti-phlogistic theory" (Duveen). Although Lamarck's chemical theories are often dismissed because of his continued belief in the four elements, they are of interest because of their central importance in the later development of his theory of evolution. His view of the natural evolution of chemical compounds paralleled his theory of the evolution of living species, but in reverse: in his view only living beings could produce chemical compounds, an aberration from the natural tendency of inorganic matter to gradually decompose into its constituent elements, in the process producing all known inorganic substances. This mineral hierarchy of being had in common with Lamarck's theory of species evolution an emphasis on the "gradual and successive production of forms, while denying the relevance of defined species" (Norman). Lamarck "assumed as elements a vitrifiable earth, water, air, fire, and light, which have no attraction for one another but tend to separate unless constrained by force; he developed his views in great detail; coal-fire is the radical of all combustibles and on combustion separates as heat-fire. He proposed a new 'pyrotic theory'" (Partington, III, p. 390). "Lamarck's chemical theories are usually dismissed as the product of unfortunate speculation because they represented the 'old chemistry' overturned by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and the 'chemical revolution.' However, they provide the key to his conception of nature and are essential features of his theory of evolution. Lamarck began his work in chemistry in the 1770s, when the four-element theory of matter (earth, air, fire, water) was still generally accepted in France. The fact that the most important element in his system was fire in its various states of modification allowed Lamarck to explain most of the known chemical and physical phenomena. His chemistry was also used to explain the mechanical interaction of individuals with the environment and, thus, evolution and the emergence of higher mental faculties" (DSB). "Lamarck's first scientific synthesis, the Recherches of 1794, was not primarily concerned with biological questions, although discussions on the differences between organized and mineral bodies, and between plants and animals featured prominently. The nucleus of the work was the presentation of the author's chemical and physical theories. Fire was the central element in Lamarckian chemistry, as evidenced by the long chapter devoted to it in the first volume. Lamarck admitted that 'the pneumatic theory has won approval from a majority of the best known chemists'. To avoid appearing to be a supporter of outdated theories, the author added the following note: 'Moreover, I guarantee that [my theory] is not at all the phlogiston theory, which I do not accept in the form in which it has been presented.' "Readers had no trouble understanding that the author was a declared opponent of the new chemistry, to which he replied with a rather sophisticated revision of the classical theory of the four elements - fire, air, earth and water. Lamarck was willing to admit that the new chemical discoveries and experiments had contributed significantly to the development of the discipline. In his view, however, it was undeniable that chemistry had advanced without taking the other branches of natural science into account. He utterly disa. Seller Inventory # 5660

Bibliographic Details

Title: Recherches sur les causes des principaux ...

Publisher: Maradan, Seconde Année de la République, Paris

Publication Date: 1794

Edition: First edition.