Jean Pierre Mégnin (16 January 1828 – 31 December 1905) was a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
and
entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
. He is best known for his work with
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s in the field of
cynology Cynology (rarely kynology, ) is the study of matters related to canines or domestic dogs.
In English, it is a term sometimes used to denote a serious zoological approach to the study of dogs as well as by writers on canine subjects, dog breeders, ...
. He also contributed to the field of
forensic entomology
Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the colonization of a dead body by arthropods. This includes the study of insect types commonly associated with cadavers, their respective life cycles, their ecological presences in a given environme ...
. He led experiments which unveiled the eight distinct waves of insect succession on corpses exposed to air. Similarly, he showed two waves of insect succession on corpses that are buried.
Biography
Jean Pierre Mégnin, born in Herimoncourt, (
Doubs
Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Ecole d'Alfort from 1849 until his graduation in 1853. In 1855, he opted for a military career as an army veterinarian and was mainly assigned to Paris or Vincennes. He retired in 1885, the year during which he founded the newspaper ''l'Éleveur'', at which time he was the director of the paper. Previous to that, he had already been involved in journalism by participating regularly, under the pseudonym of Dr. Joanné, in the writing of the journal ''l'Acclimatation'' created by
Émile Deyrolle
Émile Deyrolle (1838–1917) was a French naturalist and natural history dealer in Paris.
The business was originally owned by his naturalist grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle who opened his shop in 1831 at 23, Rue de la Monnaie. Émile’s fa ...
.
Military career
After training at the École de cavalerie de Saumur, he was assigned to the 2nd Artillery Regiment in 1855. He then served, successively, in the 19th Artillery Regiment in 1860, the 2nd Mounted Regiment of artillery of the imperial guard in 1864, the 3rd Lancer Regiment in 1869, the 15th Dragoon Regiment in 1871, the 25th Artillery Regiment in 1872, and the 12th Artillery Regiment in 1874, which he remained in until retirement age.
He performed the duties of second-class veterinary assistant in 1855, second-class veterinarian from 1860, and first-class veterinarian from 1869. He was also responsible for the district inspection of the military slaughterhouse at Vincennes.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he was taken prisoner with his unit and he spent several months of captivity in Germany.
Scientific work
Jean Pierre Mégnin was involved in many fields relating to veterinary and human medicine. The international community recognizes his expertise in parasitology, cynology, hippology and forensic entomology.
In 1878, he became interested in the stable flies of
New Caledonia
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. In 1880, he published ''Maladies parasitaires chez l’homme et les animaux domestiques'' (Parasitic Diseases in Man and Domestic Animals) and, in 1906, ''Les Insectes buveurs de sang'' (Blood-Drinking Insects).
He demonstrated that through observation of the fauna that are attracted to corpses, it is possible to determine a time of death for a corpse. He published nearly fifteen publications on this subject, including ''Faune des tombeaux'' (Fauna of the Tombs), considered the founding work of forensic entomology, a prelude to ''La Faune des corpses'' (The Fauna of Corpses) (G. Masson, 1894), a precise application of entomology to forensic medicine: forensic entomology. In particular, he puts in place the theory of squads of
carrion insects
Carrion insects are those insects associated with decomposing remains. The processes of decomposition begin within a few minutes of death. Decomposing remains offer a temporary, changing site of concentrated resources which are exploited by a wid ...
which successively colonize the corpses of mammals. Although erroneous, this technique is the basis of the calculation of the post-mortem interval for the dating of corpses during police investigations.
Awards
Jean Pierre Mégnin was made a Knight of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
by decree of January 16, 1879. He was also a Knight of Agricultural Merit (1883), an Officer of Agricultural Merit and, in 1877, he was appointed Academy Officer and then Officer of the public instruction.
Works
* ''Maladies de la Peau des Animaux '' (Animal Skin Diseases, 1867–1882).
* ''Maladies parasitaires'' (Diseases caused by Parasites, 1880).
* ''Faune des Tombeaux'' (Fauna of the Tombs, 1887). The founding work of modern forensic entomology.
* ''La faune des cadavres application de l'entomologie à la médecine légale'' Paris: G. Masson, (1894).
* 14 papers relating to forensic entomology between 1883 and 1896. These were based on 15 years of medico-legal experience with corpses.
Societies
In 1879 Mégnin was elected President of the
Société Entomologique de France
The Société entomologique de France, or French Entomological Society, is devoted to the study of insects. The society was founded in 1832 in Paris, France.
The society was created by eighteen Parisian entomologists on January 31, 1832. The first ...
. He became a member of the
French Academy of Medicine
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
in 1893. He chaired the
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park.
History
On 29 ...
in 1885. He was a member of the Société de médecine légale de France and of the
Société de biologie The Société de biologie is a learned society founded in Paris in 1848. The society was conceived during the French Revolution of 1848. The members of the society held regular meetings and published the proceedings in a new scientific journal. The ...
.
The dog breed name
Beauceron
The Beauceron is a herding dog breed originating from the plains of Central France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (red-stockings).
History
A French herding breed known for centuries in west ...
was used for the first time by Pierre Megnin in his 1888 book on
war dogs
Dogs in warfare have a very long history starting in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military ...
; previously known as ''Berger de la Brie'' for long-coated dogs and ''Berger de la Beauce'' for short-coated dogs. Likewise, he introduced the classification of canine breeds according to the lupoid,
molossoid
The Molossus ( el, Μολοσσός, Molossós; also known as the Molossian hound, Epirus mastiff) was a Dog breed, breed of dog from Ancient Greece.
History
The Molossus were dogs that were kept by the ancient Greeks, Greek tribe and kingdom o ...
, braccoid and graioid types. He described the dog breed standard in many well-documented books.