Charles Le Roy (physician) facts for kids

Charles Le Roy (born February 12, 1726 – died December 12, 1779) was a French doctor from the 1700s. He was also an Encyclopédiste, meaning he helped write the famous Encyclopédie. This was a huge collection of knowledge.

Charles Le Roy was an important advisor to the king. He taught medicine at the University of Montpellier. He was also a member of several important groups. These included the French Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society. He belonged to the Société royale de médecine and other academies in France.

Life of Charles Le Roy

Charles Le Roy was the youngest of four sons. His father, Julien Le Roy, was a famous watchmaker. Charles had three brothers. One was Pierre Le Roy, also a watchmaker. Another was Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, a physicist. His third brother was Julien-David Le Roy, an architect. His uncle, Pierre Le Roy, was also a watchmaker.

Charles's father made sure he received a great education. When Charles was young, he was not very strong. Because of his health, he was sent to Montpellier. This city is on the Mediterranean coast. There, he began studying medicine. He continued his studies in Italy. After that, he went to Paris.

However, his health problems returned. He had to go back to Montpellier. He earned his doctorate degree from the local medical school. Soon, he became a professor there. People really valued his teaching. He was very thorough and accurate. He had a lot of experience helping patients.

It was a big loss for Montpellier when he left. In 1777, his family asked him to return to Paris. Sadly, this move to the capital city was not good for him. He passed away just two years later.

Amazing Achievements

In 1755, Charles Le Roy tried to help a blind patient. He used electric current pulses. He sent these pulses through a wire wrapped around the patient's head. The blind man saw bright flashes of light. But, his eyesight could not be fully cured.

This experiment was very important. It was the first time anyone showed that nerves could be affected by electricity. This happened 36 years before Luigi Galvani described similar ideas. Galvani later showed how electricity works in living things. Le Roy's work was a very early step in understanding how our bodies use electricity.

His Written Works

Charles Le Roy wrote many important medical books. He also helped create the famous Encyclopédie. This huge book was put together by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert. Le Roy regularly contributed to several volumes of this important work.