Alexandre Bertrand (doctor)

Biography

Born in Rennes in 1795, Alexandre Bertrand was initially a high-school pupil little shining, then impassioned itself for Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Mathématiques. Received to the Polytechnic school in 1814, it was returned after the Hundred Days for its sympathies Bonapartists, and undertook its studies of medicine then from there.

Observing the curious phenomena of the animal Magnetism and Sleepwalking, it started by believing in it ardently; but its scientific spirit took then the top on its manner of studying the facts. It reported them in a particular state that it named Extase , and tried to explain with their help of the extraordinary facts allotted up to that point either to a supernatural, divine or diabolic intervention, or with the Jonglerie. He to this end wrote several works, fruits of his research and reflection of his teaching; these works show the evolution in its manner of considering the phenomena: Treated sleepwalking , 1823; Of Magnetism in France , 1826; of Extase , 1829.

Part of its research led it to consider a responsibility limited for the Aliéné S in the criminal acts, and involved a beginning of legal reform.

Near to Pierre Leroux and the Saint-Simonians, Alexandre Bertrand collaborated initially in the progressive Encyclopédie , then it was in 1825 one of the founders of the Globe , where he was the writer of the scientific part, and wrote in particular the reports of the meetings of the Academy of Science.

Husband of Marie-Caroline Blin, girl of the Breton deputy Joseph Blin, he is the father of the archeologist Alexandre Bertrand, the mathematician Joseph Bertrand, and of Louise Bertrand who married the mathematician Charles Hermite.

Works

Examination of the generally allowed opinion on the way in which we receive by the sight knowledge of the bodies , Paris, Didot, 1819 (thesis of doctorate)
Traité sleepwalking and various modifications which it presents , Paris, Dentu, 1823.
Lettres on the revolutions of the Earth , Paris, Bossange brothers, 1824. (republished and increased into 1826,1832,1836.)
Letters on physics , Paris, Bossange, 1824 and 1825.
Of the extase , Paris, 1826.
Of magnetism in France and the judgments that the learned societies carried from there , Paris, Baillière, 1826. - Republication the harmattan, 2004 - ISBN 2-74-756319-7.
Articles in the progressive Encyclopedia .
Many scientific articles in the newspaper the Earth , of 1825 to 1830.

Sources

Pierre Leroux, “Alexandre Bertrand”, in new Encyclopedia , t.2, pages 641 and following (abundant note written by its former school-fellow and friendly P. Leroux) .
Prosper-Jean Levot, “Alexandre-Jacques-François Bertrand”, in Breton Biography , Valves, 1852-1857.
Rene de Kerviler, general Repertory of Breton bio-bibliography , Rennes, 1886-1908.

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