Edmé-Gilles Guyot (1706–1786) was a French mail clerk, physician, postmaster, cartographer, inventor and author on the subject of mathematics, physics and magic. He experimented with
optical illusion
Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide v ...
s and with the theory behind performance magic. His developments into the apparent appearance of ghosts, using the projection of a figure into smoke, helped to create the technology and techniques used in
phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (, also fantasmagorie, fantasmagoria) was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or semi- ...
.
Mathematics, science, and magic
Manufacturer of conjuring apparatus and scientific instruments, Guyot was accused of exploiting and revealing the tricks used at the time by magicians and science populizers like
Nicolas-Philippe Ledru
Nicolas-Philippe Ledru (1731, Paris – October 6, 1807, Fontenay-aux-Roses), known as Comus, was a noted European physicist, prestidigitator and Magic (illusion), illusionist of the late 18th century. He had two sons, Jacques Philippe Ledru (1754â ...
and
François Pelletier
François Pelletier was a French illusionist, famed in his time for his use of magnets as an entertainment basis for his act. His reputation was such that he was invited to perform at the court of Maria Theresa of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in ...
. He created "magic theatres" for the aristocracy – small boxes that use lanterns and slides to create an animated story.
Guyot's work was influential in the development of
magic lantern
The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...
s and their use in
phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (, also fantasmagorie, fantasmagoria) was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or semi- ...
. In 1770 he detailed a method of simultaneously using two different slides in this early projection device. His example was a sea that would become increasingly stormy, throwing around the ships that were sailing on it. He advised that the slides would need to be very carefully painted in order to create a realistic and beautiful animation. His writings on the subject were translated into English and German and were widely circulated around Europe. His experiments led to the technique of projecting images onto smoke to create the appearance of ghostly apparitions. In 1779 Guyot described the use of transformation slides in magic lanterns to create simple animations.
''Nouvelles recreations physiques et mathematiques''
Guyot's four part book ''Nouvelles recreations physiques et mathematiques'' featured descriptions of experiments and examples of how various innovative mathematical and magical tricks could be performed. The book was first published in 1769 and included an explanation of
Hooper's paradox
Hooper's paradox is a falsidical paradox based on an optical illusion. A geometric shape with an area of 32 units is dissected into four parts, which afterwards get assembled into a rectangle with an area of only 30 units.
Explanation
Upon close ...
, It also includes detailed, illustrated techniques for the performance of the
cups and balls
The cups and balls is a performance of magic with innumerable adaptations. Street gambling variations performed by conmen were known as Bunco Booths. A typical cups and balls routine includes many of the most fundamental effects of magic: the ba ...
trick that is regarded as being greatly influential.
The book was adapted into English by William Hooper, under the title ''Rational Recreations'' being released in 1774 without credit to Guyot.
Medicine
Guyot is credited with describing in 1724 the catheterization of the
Eustachian tube
In anatomy, the Eustachian tube, also known as the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear, of which it is also a part. In adult humans, the Eustachian tube is approximately long and in d ...
, one of the first means of middle ear inflation.
Publications
*
References
External links
Nouvelles récréations physiques et mathématiques/Neue physikalische und mathematische BelustigungenFrom th
in the Rare Book and Special Collection Division at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
''La France littéraire'', Duchesne, Paris 1759, p. 72.*
''Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique'', January 1770, pp. 444-5.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guyot, Edme-Gilles
1706 births
1786 deaths
18th-century French physicians
French cartographers
18th-century French mathematicians
18th-century French inventors