Joseph Pitton de Tournefort

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (June 5th 1656, Aix-en-Provence - December 28th 1708, Paris) is a Botaniste French.

Birth and studies

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort would be in fact a little born before dated June 5th, 1656 because the registers of the parish Saint-Saver of Aix-en-Provence specify that it accepted the baptème on June 3rd, 1656. Its family was originating in Turns. Its great-grandfather had had two wire:

Jean Martin Pitton, father of Scholastique Pitton, historian celebrates town of Aix-en-Provence (author of a Histoire of the town of Aix , 1666)
Louis Pitton, grandfather of Joseph.

His/her father, Pierre Pitton, rider, lord of Tournefort, husband of Aimar de Fagone, had a rather considerable fortune; it intended his Joseph son at the ecclesiastical state. Joseph made his studies at the Jésuites where it acquired solids knowledge. He impassions himself very quickly for botany and accepted of them the first concepts in an apothecary of Aix-en-Provence. The death of his/her father leaves it free follow its personal interests, in particular in the field of the Botanique.

The researcher and the teacher

In 1678, he traverses the Savoy and the Dauphiné from where he brings back quantity of plants to begin his herbarium. In 1679, it leaves to Montpellier to study the Médecine and the anatomy but also the flora of this area. In 1681, it leaves for Barcelona from which it explores the surroundings. Its life is hard there, one says that it must hide its money in its black bread to escape the robbers. At the end of 1681, it returns to Montpellier and Aix-en-Provence to increase its herbarium of its last harvests. In 1683, the herbarium which it constituted is so rich and its fame such as via Mrs. de Venelle, Guy-Crescent Fagon (1638-1718) the fact of coming to Paris to entrust its pulpit of botany to him to the Botanical garden (1683) established by Louis XIII for the instruction of the young medical students. Its courses are famous and attract very many listeners, including foreigner. He continues nevertheless to travel to Spain and to Portugal, to Andalusia where it will be interested in the reproduction of the palm trees. He will also go to Holland where he will meet Paul Hermann (1646-1695), professor of botany to Leyde, which proposes its place of professor to him. He will refuse this offer.

In 1691, Tournefort is received with the Academy of Science. It published in 1694 its first work Éléments of botany or method to know the plants in three volumes. It specifies in its warning that “the followed method is founded on the structure of the flowers and the fruits. One could not deviate some without throwing oneself in strange embarrassments… ”. This work having had enormously success, it translates it itself into Latin under the title Institutiones rei herbariae so that it can be read in all Europe.

In 1696, Tournefort is received doctor of the medical college of Paris. In 1698, it makes appear a Parisian flora under the title of Histoire of the plants which are born around Paris, with their use in medicine , small volume of 543 pages, dedicated in Fagon.

The voyage to Raising

On proposal of Pontchartrain and in order to make observations not only on the natural history and the geography but still on all that relates to the trade, Tournefort accepted the order of Louis XIV to go to Raising, which it did with enthusiasm. For this forwarding it is made accompany by the German botanist Andreas Gundelsheimer (1668-1715) and the painter Claude Aubriet (1651-1743).

It leaves Paris on March 9th, 1700 to embark in Marseilles. It benefits from it, in waiting of a boat, to visit the city and its surroundings. It takes the sea on April 23rd. It initially stops in Crete then visit the Cyclades by making stopovers in many islands: Milo, Siphanto (Sifnos), Paros, Naxos, Amorgos, Syra, Zia, Andros, Clay crusher, Chio… It visits the Constantinople and Marmara Sea. It goes to Sinope and Trébizonde, seaports black. From this last city, it goes by caravan to Erzurum, Cars, then Tiflis in Georgia which it describes as more beautiful country of the world. He visits then Erivan in Arménie and the Mont Ararat. He returns by Cars, Ankara (Ankara), Brousse, Smyrna from where he embarks for Marseilles where it will arrive on June 3rd, 1702. This voyage is thoroughly told in its book, Relation of a voyage to Raising , is published after its death and consisted of XXII letters with Ponchartrain.

Tournefort and its two companions will know during this voyage of many adventures: storm in Cyclades, suspicion of the local authorities of the town of Bus where they are taken for Russian spies, misses ink and of paper to constitute the herbarium. Moreover Tournefort misses drowning with its horse while crossing a pre river of the Ararat Mount. In spite of these difficulties, it conforms to the instructions given by Louis XIV.

In the field of botany it made not only one herbarium, but it described various harvests. Thus in the island of Tap-hole it describes the production of the Mastic starting from the resin running of the incisions made in the trunks of the Pistachio tree Terebinth. It also describes the harvest of the ladanum, used formerly in perfumery, starting from resinous gum of Cistus Ladaniferus (Ciste with gum).

But not confining itself with botany, it is made in turn archeologist, geographer, ethnologist and multiplies the notes, observations and descriptions. With the assistance of Aubiet, it redraws the charts of the Black Sea and described the defense systems and of fortification of the ports which it crosses. It describes the orthodoxe and Moslem religions. Manners and habits of the visited populations are the subject of tasty accounts. In the island of Siphanto (Sifnos) he notices in his letter IV that " the women who cover their face with bands of linen to protect their dye, resemble mummies ambulantes".

The reading of its book shows the extent of its knowledge apart from botany in particular in the field of the ancient history. This tour makes it possible to garner a formidable harvest: 1356 new plants and 25 new kinds come to supplement and enrich the inventory by the alive world.

Last days

After its return of its voyage to Raising, Tournefort is named, in 1706, professor with the royal Collège, where it is titular pulpit of medicine and botany.

Enjoying a robust health, it could for a long time still have made progress science. However, ghost of the royal garden while carrying a package of plants under the arm, it was violently run up against by a cart in the street Lacépède. He lost much blood and after one month of disease, he died on December 28th, 1708, at the 52 years age.

He bequeaths his manuscripts to his pupil and friend, Michel Louis Renaume of Garance (1676-1739). Its close friend Pierre Joseph Garidel said about it in its book " history of the plants. " that it was nowadays and will be in the centuries to come a subject from admiration.

Homages

Carl von Linné (1707-1778) dedicated to him a kind of the family of the Boraginaceae: Tournefortia .
Bernard Bovier de Fontenelle (1657-1757) pronounced with the Academy of Science its praise. It appears in warning in the book " Travel of Levant" and gives invaluable indications on the life of Tournefort.

Works

Élémens of botany or method to know the plants (Paris, royal printing works, 1694,3 vol. with 451 tables, in which: 7000 species are considered).
History of the plants which are born around Paris with their use in medicine (Paris, 1698, a volume); 2nd edition increased by Bernard de Jussieu, Paris, 1725,2 volumes).
Institutiones rei herbariae, editio deteriorated (Paris, 1700,3 volumes, augumentée Latin translation of Élémens of botany ). Another edition with a summary of the life of Tournefort, a praise of its method was published by Bernard de Jussieu, Lyon, 1719). Work digitized by the national library: Volume 1, Tome 2 Tome 3.
Corollarium institutionum rei herbariae in quo plantae 1356 munificentia Ludovici Magni in orientalibus regionibus observatae recensentur and AD generated sweated revocantur (Paris, royal printing works, 1703). It is about a Latin supplement with the " Institutiones. " who was joined to the posthumous edition of 1719.
Relation of a voyage of Raising made by order of the roy (Paris, royal printing works, 1717,2 vol. in-4) and (Lyon, Bruyset editor, 1717,3 vol. in-8). Work translated into Dutch (1717), English (1741), German (1776). - The first edition was digitized by the National library: Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Treated medical matter or history and the use of the drugs and their chemical analysis posthumous work updated by Besnier (Paris, 1717,2 vol.).

Sources

Georges J. Aillaud, Jean-Patrick Ferrari and Guy Hazzan (1982). botanists in Marseilles and in Provence of XVIe century at the XIXe century. (Catalog of the exposure) , the Town of Marseilles: 136 p. + 12 pl.
Philippe Morat, Gerard-Guy Aymonin and Jean-Claude Jolinon (2004). the Herbarium of the world. Five centuries of adventures and botanical passions to the national Natural history museum of natural history , national Natural history museum of natural history of Paris and Arènes/L' iconoclast (Paris): 240 p.
Louis-Gabriel Michaud (1843), old and modern universal Biography , volume 42: 41-47.

Notes and bonds

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