Pierre Magnol facts for kids
Pierre Magnol (born June 8, 1638 – died May 21, 1715) was a French scientist who studied plants, known as a botanist. He was born in the city of Montpellier, France. He lived and worked there for most of his life.
Magnol became a Professor of Botany and the Director of the Royal Botanic Garden of Montpellier. He also held a position in the Académie Royale des Sciences de Paris for a short time. He was one of the first people to create a new way to group and classify plants. He was the first to publish the idea of "plant families" as we know them today. This was a natural way to group plants that shared common features.
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Early Life and Learning
Pierre Magnol was born into a family of apothecaries, who were like pharmacists. His father, Claude, and his grandfather, Jean Magnol, both ran pharmacies. Pierre's mother came from a family of doctors.
Pierre was one of the younger children. This gave him more freedom to choose his own career. He wanted to become a doctor. From a young age, he loved studying nature, especially plants.
He started studying medicine at the University of Montpellier on May 19, 1655.
By Magnol's time, Montpellier was already a major center for trade and education. The University of Montpellier was the first French university to have a botanic garden. King Henry IV of France gave this garden in 1593 for studying medicine and how to use plants for health. Its medical school attracted students from all over Europe. Many famous people in medicine and botany studied there. These included Leonhart Fuchs, Guillaume Rondelet, Charles de l'Ecluse, Pierre Richer de Belleval, and the famous writer François Rabelais. So, Magnol got his education in a very important place for science and plants. He earned his doctor's degree (M.D.) on January 11, 1659. After getting his degree, he focused even more seriously on botany.
Religion and Challenges
Montpellier was a city with many Protestants. Magnol was raised in the Calvinism tradition. At that time, Roman Catholicism was the official state church in France. However, the Edict of Nantes (1598) had given Protestants some religious freedom. They also had the right to work in any field or for the state.
Even with the Edict, Protestants still faced discrimination. During his life, Magnol was denied jobs several times because of his religion. In 1685, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes happened. This meant Protestants lost their religious freedom. After this, Magnol gave up Protestantism and became a Catholic.
Career Achievements
In December 1663, Magnol received an honorary title called brevet de médecine royal. This was thanks to Antoine Vallot, an important doctor to the king. Magnol likely earned money by practicing medicine, as his family was not wealthy.
From 1659 onwards, he spent much time studying plants. He traveled through the Languedoc region, Provence, to the Alps, and to the Pyrenees mountains. In 1664, there was an opening for a 'Demonstrator of plants' in Montpellier. Magnol was suggested for the job. But he was not hired because of religious discrimination. This happened again in 1667 when he was the top choice for a Professor of medicine.
Meanwhile, Magnol had connections with many important botanists. His fellow scientists highly respected him. He wrote letters to John Ray, William Sherard, and James Petiver in England. He also corresponded with Paul Hermann and Petrus Houttuyn in Leiden, and Jan Commelin in Amsterdam, among others.
In 1687, after he became Catholic, Magnol finally became 'Demonstrator of plants' at the botanic garden of Montpellier. In 1693, he was named 'doctor to the king's court'. This was recommended by Guy-Crescent Fagon, who was the court physician, and by Magnol's own student, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. In 1694, he was finally appointed Professor of medicine at the University of Montpellier. He also became Director of the botanic garden in 1696 for three years. After that, he was given the title 'Inspector of the garden' for the rest of his life.
Magnol was one of the first members of the Société Royale des Sciences de Montpellier (1706). He held one of the three positions for botany there. In 1709, he was called to Paris to join the Académie Royale des Sciences de Paris. This position became open when his former student, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, died too soon.
Among Magnol's students were Tournefort and the brothers Antoine and Bernard de Jussieu.
Major Contribution to Science
Magnol's most important scientific contribution was creating the idea of plant families. This was a natural way to group plants based on their shared physical features. He explained this in his book, Prodromus historiae generalis plantarum (1689).
His work was one of the first steps towards creating a "tree of life" for plants. In his book, he made 76 tables. These tables not only grouped plants into families but also helped people easily identify plants using their physical features.
Important Books
- 1676, Flora of Montpellier, or rather a list of the plants growing around Montpellier. Lyon.
- 1686, Flora of Montpellier, or rather a list of the plants growing around Montpellier, with descriptions and plates of several plants added. With an appendix that contains plants newly found and corrects previous errors. Montpellier.
- 1689, Precursor to a general history of plants, in which the families of plants are arranged in tables. Montpellier.
- 1697, The royal garden of Montpellier, or rather a catalogue of the plants that are on show in the royal garden of Montpellier. Montpellier.
- 1720, New character of plants, divided into two treatises: the first on herbs and small shrublike plants, the second on shrubs and trees. Montpellier. This book was published after his death by his son, Antoine Magnol.
How He Was Honored
In 1703, Charles Plumier (1646–1704) named a flowering tree from the island of Martinique Magnolia, after Pierre Magnol. Later, William Sherard used this name for a flowering tree now known as Magnolia virginiana.
Linnaeus, a very famous botanist, then used this name in his important book Species plantarum. This is how Magnolia became the widely known name for a large group of beautiful flowering trees.
See also
In Spanish: Pierre Magnol para niños
