Claude Joseph Geoffroy (8 August 1685,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

– 9 March 1752, Paris) was the brother of

Étienne François Geoffroy Étienne François Geoffroy (13 February 16726 January 1731) was a French physician and chemist, best known for his 1718 affinity tables. He first contemplated a career as an apothecary, but then decided to practice medicine. He is sometimes kn ...

. Like his brother, he was an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

and

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

. Having a considerable knowledge of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

, he devoted himself especially to the study of the essential oils in plants. The son of Matthieu François Geoffroy and Louise Devaux, he was born in Paris on 8 August 1685. In 1703 he became a master apothecary, and in 1704/05 took scientific excursions throughout southern France. He then studied

under

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (5 June 165628 December 1708) was a French botanist, notable as the first to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants. Botanist Charles Plumier was his pupil and accompanied him on his voyages. Lif ...

(1707). In 1708, following the death of his father, he took charge of the family pharmacy. In May 1711 he was elected a member of the

Académie Royale des 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 the ...

(botany section), subsequently transferring to the "chemistry section" in 1715. From 1718 to 1720 he was ''Garde des marchands-apothicaires'' in Paris, then later served as ''inspecteur de pharmacie'' at the Hôtel-Dieu. In 1731 he attained the title of

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

in Paris.Étienne-Louis Geoffroy, médecin et entomologiste français
Biography of Claude Joseph Geoffroy From 1707 to 1751, he published numerous articles in the ''Histoire et Mémoires de l'Académie royale des sciences''. During 1729 Geoffroy used a method from Wilhelm Homberg “to determine the strength of vinegar by adding small amounts of potassium”, and this went to be the first ever titration recorded. He is known as Geoffroy the Younger to distinguish him from his brother, Geoffroy the Elder (1672–1731). However, this leads to confusion with his son, Claude François Geoffroy (1729–1753), who is known as "Claude Geoffroy the Younger".

Selected works

* ''Observations sur les huiles essentielles , avec quelques conjectures sur la cause des couleurs des feuilles et des fleurs des plantes'', 1707. * ''Observations sur les écrevisses de rivière'', 1709. * ''Observations sur la vegetation des truffes'', 1711. * ''Examen du vinaigre concentré par la gelée'', 1729. * ''Memoire dans lequel on examine si l'huile d'olive est un spécifique contre la morsure des viperes'', 1737 (with

François-Joseph Hunauld François-Joseph Hunauld (24 February 1701 – 15 December 1742) was a French anatomist born in Châteaubriant. In 1722 he received his medical degree at Reims, then continued his studies in Paris under Jacques Bénigne Winslow (1669–1760) and ...

). * "An account of the remedy for the stone, lately published in England, according to an act of Parliament, assigning a reward of 5000 oundsto the discoverer" (with

Sauveur François Morand Sauveur François Morand (2 April 1697, Paris – 21 July 1773) was a French surgeon. Biography In 1724, he became a demonstrator of surgery at the Jardin du Roi in Paris, followed by service as ''censeur royal'' and a surgeon at the Hôpital ...

); published in English, 1741. * ''Formules de pharmacie pour les hôpitaux militaires du roy'', 1747 (with Sauveur François Morand).WorldCat Identities
Most widely held works by Claude-Joseph Geoffroy

References

1685 births 1752 deaths 18th-century French chemists French pharmacists 18th-century French botanists Members of the French Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society Scientists from Paris {{france-chemist-stub