Abraham Trembley (September 3rd 1710 - May 12th 1784) is a naturalist Genevese. He is mainly known for his studies of the hydre.

Trembley is born in a middle-class family from Geneva. He studies initially the Mathématiques in the academy rested by Jean Calvin and prepares to enter the orders. The circumstances lead it to be diverted this way and it settles with the Netherlands. It resides initially at Leyde or it gives lessons of Philosophie and letters. The count William Bentinck notices it and engages it like tutor of his two sons.

He devotes to the Zoologie starting from 1736. In the rivers on the property of the count he discovers an organization which he calls hydre although it is not the first to announce its existence the German naturalist Antoine van Leeuwenhoek having already announced its discovery in 1702. During years which follow he affirms himself like a specialist in this polyp.

He maintains the contacts followed with other scientists such as Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, Charles Bonnet and Lazzaro Spallanzani. Writers of the time, Fielding , Smollett, Goldsmith, and Voltaire, are with the current of its work but hold them in little regard regarding them as frivolous and vague. The contemporary scientists repudiate the charges of inaccuracies clearly while the posterity shows the interest of meticulous studies of organizations.

Its studies of the hydre are published in four memories Mémoires to be used with the history of a kind of polyps of fresh water with arm in form as horns 1744. In these memories it shows the animal nature of the hydre and thus described for the first time a form of complete animal regeneration. This memory is important also by methodologies, then new, employees. It systematically uses the experimentation to try to include/understand the operation of the hydre, hitherto the naturalists are satisfied to describe their observations and to induce from them a classification. Trembley introduces disturbances in order to try to include/understand the mechanisms subjacent with the observations.

Its patience and its method are exemplary and it develops the experimental zoology considerably although one cannot credit it, as that arrives sometimes, to be the father of this branch of the Zoologie.

It is the first to clear up the reproduction of animals by budding, to carry out permanent animal fabric Clerc's Offices. He discovers that the Protozoaire S multiplies by division and describes certain characteristics physique of the Protoplasme one century before Felix Dujardin.

He is elected member of the Royal Society in 1743 and corresponding member of the Academy of Science. He receives the Médaille Copley in 1743. He publishes several works on the natural religion, of the articles of Natural history in the Philosophical Transactions of 1742 with 1757.

He becomes tutor of the son of the duke of Richmond with which he travels in Germany and in Italy. For the same period, 1747 - 1757, it also takes part in the English diplomatic service. In 1757 it turns over to Switzerland or it founds a family. In 1760 it obtains a place of librarian with Geneva then seat with the council of the Two hundreds. During the end of its life he writes in the fields of education, the policy, the religion and philosophy moral. He writes against the methods of education of Rousseau in his fellow townsman .

Works

• Memory to be used for the history of a kind of polyps of fresh water with arm in form of horn , 1744

• Instructions of a father to his children on Nature and the Religion , 1775
• On the natural and revealed Religion 1779