Louis Michel François Doyère (born 28 January 1811 in Saint-Michel-des-Essartiers,
Calvados; died 12 July 1863 in Bastia,
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
) was a French
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
and
agronomist
An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...
.
He was among the first zoologists to study
tardigrade
Tardigrades (), known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them . In 1776, th ...
s, describing species including ''
Milnesium tardigradum
''Milnesium tardigradum'' is a cosmopolitan species of tardigrade that can be found in a diverse range of environments. It has also been found in the sea around Antarctica.
''M. tardigradum'' was described by Louis Michel François Doyère in 1 ...
'' in 1840.
Life
After obtaining his degree in science, Doyère became a professor in Paris. In 1838, he translated into French the 1836 book ''Geology and Mineralogy considered with reference to Natural Theology'' by
William Buckland
William Buckland Doctor of Divinity, DD, Royal Society, FRS (12 March 1784 – 14 August 1856) was an English theologian, geologist and paleontology, palaeontologist.
His work in the early 1820s proved that Kirkdale Cave in North Yorkshire h ...
. Two years later, he published with Dezobry and Magdeleine, a work entitled: ''Lessons in Natural History''.
From 1841 to 1842, he was a preparatory assistant at the laboratory of anatomy and natural history of Man, at the
French National Museum of Natural History. In 1842, he defended his thesis at the Faculty of Sciences of Paris on the biology of
tardigrade
Tardigrades (), known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them . In 1776, th ...
s, including their ability to survive complete desiccation. In the historian of science
Hartmut Greven's words, "The unanimous opinion of all later researchers is that Doyère's dissertation is an indisputable milestone in tardigradology".
He went into teaching, first at the
Lycée Henri-IV
The Lycée Henri-IV () is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges ('' lycées'') in France.
The school educates more ...
in Paris, and then at the
Lycée Bonaparte. From 1850 to 1852, he held the chair of zoology applied to agriculture at the Agronomic Institute of Versailles; then that of natural history at the
École centrale des arts et manufactures.
Later, he published works on
silage
Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...
.
Works
* 1838: ''La Géologie et la minéralogie dans leurs rapports avec la théologie naturelle'', translation of the 1836 book ''Geology and Mineralogy considered with reference to Natural Theology'' by
William Buckland
William Buckland Doctor of Divinity, DD, Royal Society, FRS (12 March 1784 – 14 August 1856) was an English theologian, geologist and paleontology, palaeontologist.
His work in the early 1820s proved that Kirkdale Cave in North Yorkshire h ...
(2 volumes, Crochard, Paris).
* 1852: ''Recherches sur l'alucite des céréales, l'étendue de ses ravages et les moyens de les faire cesser, suivies de quelques résultats relatifs à l'ensilage des grains'' (Dusacq, Paris).
References
Sources
* Philippe Jaussaud & Édouard R. Brygoo (2004). ''Du Jardin au Muséum en 516 biographies''. Muséum national d’histoire naturelle de Paris : 630 p.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyere, Louis Michel Francois
1811 births
1863 deaths
19th-century French zoologists
French agronomists