Charles Marie of Condamine

See also: Condamine

Charles Marie of Condamine , born the January 28th 1701 with Paris and dead the February 4th 1774 in Paris, is an explorer and scientific French.

After studies in Paris with the Louis-the-Large college, it turns to a military career. It leaves nevertheless the army in 1719 and is devoted to the scientific studies and takes part in work of the Academy of Science. Impassioned by the voyages, it makes many forwardings in North Africa and the the Middle East (1731), which enable him to publish its scientific observations. He is elected member of the Academy of Science in 1730.

In April 1735, it is charged by the Academy of Science with leading a forwarding to the Peru in order to measure the length of an arc of Méridien of a degree near the equator. The scientific part of the voyage is placed under the responsibility of Louis Godin and Pierre Bouguer. Forwarding proceeds in a difficult climate and the three men separate. Condamine reached Quito (currently capital of the Ecuador), descends the the Amazon and ends up joining Cayenne. He is the first scientist to have descended the Amazon. This voyage allows the first description of the Quinquina, from which the Quinine is extracted, as well as the discovery of the rubber and the Curare, poison used by the Amerindian for their arrows. It returns to Paris in February 1745 while paying more than two hundred objects of natural history which it offers to Buffon.

Condamine is a friend close to Maupertuis and Voltaire. In 1760, he is elected member of the French Academy, where he is received by Buffon. He passes the remainder of his life to make countryside for the Variolisation against the small pox, disease which had contaminated it being child.

Condamine left a long-lived memory in the South American countries which it crossed: thus, the college free-Ecuadorian of Quito (in Ecuador) bears its name. A street of the 17 {{E}} district of Paris bears its name.

Principal publications

Relation shortened of a voyage made in the interior of southernmost America from the coast of the South Sea to the coasts of Brazil and Guyana, while descending the river from Amazones, read at the public assembly of the Academy of Science, on April 28th, 1745 (1745)
the Figure of the ground, determined by the observations of Mr. Bouguer and Condamine, sent by order of Roy to Peru to observe around Ecuador, with a shortened Relation of this voyage which contains the description of the country in which operations was made, by Mr. Bouguer (1749)
Journal voyage made in Ecuador being used as historical introduction to the measurement of the first three degrees of the Meridian line (1751)
Measurement of the first three degrees of the meridian line into the southern hemisphere, drawn from the observations of Misters of the royal Academy of sciences sent by the king under Ecuador (1751)
History of a wild young girl found in wood to the ten years age (allotted with Condamine, 1755)
History of the inoculation of the small pox, or Collection of memories, letters, extracts and other writings on the small artificial pox (1773)

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