Théodore Tronchin | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Doctor Théodore Tronchin (1709–1781), in Geneva by René Gaillard in 1785, from a work by Jean-Étienne Liotard | |
| Born | 24 May 1703 |
| Died | 30 November 1781 |
| Nationality | Genevan |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine |
Théodore Tronchin (24 May 1709 – 30 November 1781) was a physician from the Republic of Geneva. [1]
A native of Geneva, he studied initially at the University of Cambridge, then transferred to the University of Leiden, where he was a pupil of Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738). In 1730 he obtained his medical doctorate, and subsequently practiced medicine in Amsterdam. In the early 1750s he returned to Geneva, where he received the title of Professor Emeritus of Medicine, and later moved to Paris, where he opened a medical practice in 1766.
Tronchin was an influential 18th-century physician, whose popularity spread amongst European royalty and the upper classes. [2] Among his patients were Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot. [3] In 1762 Tronchin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 1779 a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Tronchin is mentioned in passing as a great physician in the Marquis de Sade's " Philosophy in the Bedroom ".
He was a major proponent of inoculation for smallpox, and was responsible for the inoculation of several thousand patients in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. [4]
He was distrustful of traditional medical practices such as bloodletting and purging, and was an advocate of a simple and natural hygiene that stressed fresh air, diet and exercise. He was scornful of a sedentary lifestyle and excessive sleep, and dedicated several hours of the week to medical assistance for the poor.
Tronchin's written works were few, although he did publish a treatise titled "De colica pictonum", a work that explained the cause of Poitou colic due to lead poisoning. He also wrote part of the article "Innoculation" for Diderot's Encyclopédie (1751–1772).
Louis Jean-Marie Daubenton was a French naturalist and contributor to the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.
Paul Joseph Barthez was a French physician, physiologist, and encyclopedist who developed a take on the biological theory known as vitalism.
Louis-Guillaume Le Monnier was a French natural scientist and contributor to the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.
Claude Bourgelat was a French veterinary surgeon. He was a founder of scientifically informed veterinary medicine, and he created the world's first two veterinary schools for professional training.
Jean Starobinski was a Swiss literary critic.
Louis-Élisabeth de la Vergne, comte de Tressan was a French soldier, physician, scientist, medievalist and writer, best known for his adaptations of "romans chevaleresques" of the Middle Ages, which contributed to the rise of the Troubadour style in the French arts.
Jacques-André Naigeon was a French artist, atheist–materialist philosopher, editor and man of letters best known for his contributions to the Encyclopédie and for reworking Baron d'Holbach's and Diderot's manuscripts.
d'Alembert's Dream is an ensemble of three philosophical dialogues authored by Denis Diderot in 1769, which first anonymously appeared in the Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique between August and November 1782, but was not published in its own right until 1830:
Jacques-François de Villiers (1727–1794) was a French physician and translator.
Gabriel François Venel was a French chemist, physician and a contributor to the Encyclopédie,.
Antoine Petit was a French physician, master of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and Félix Vicq d'Azyr.
Charles-Benjamin de Langes de Montmirail, baron de Lubières, 1714, Berlin – 1 June 1790, was a Genevan mathematician.
Jean Robert II Tronchin, also known as Tronchin-Boissier, Attorney General, member of the State Council of Geneva was the son of Jean Tronchin (1672–1761). He busied himself on a friendly basis in Voltaire's interests and maintained a correspondence on artistic subjects with Denis Diderot.
Louis Necker, called de Germany was a Genevan mathematician, physicist, professor and a banker in Paris. He was the elder brother of Jacques Necker, minister of Finance in France when the French Revolution broke out.
Urbain de Vandenesse was an 18th-century French physician and Encyclopédiste.
Jean-Henri-Nicolas Bouillet was an 18th-century French physician, Encyclopédiste and mayor of Béziers from 1787 to 1790.
Louis-Anne La Virotte was an 18th-century French physician and encyclopédiste.
Pierre-Jacques Willermoz was an 18th-century French physician and chemist.
Jean-Joseph Menuret, called Menuret de Chambaud was a French physician and author of a number of medical treatises. He also contributed to the Encyclopédie by Diderot and d'Alembert.
Louis Jean Odier was a Genevan and then Swiss physician, medical campaigner and advisor; he was also a translator and publisher of medical texts, particularly from English. He was a major figure in medicine in 18th-century Europe because of his promotion of vaccination against smallpox and more broadly his lobbying for medical funds and usage of data from historical medical records, relating them to probability in life expectancy and subsequent advice for economic planning.
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