Maupertuis Venus Physique

(MAUPERTUIS Pierre Louis Moreau de). Venus physique. Sans lieu, sans nom, 1745.

[Precede de] Hyacinthe Theodore BARON, Ritus usus et Laudabiles Facultatis Medicinae Pariensis consuetudines. [Et de] Statuta Facultatis Medicinae Parisiensis, supremi senatus Authoritate confirmata anno M DCC LI. Paris, G. F. Quillau, 1751. Trois parties en un volume petit in-12 [80 x 141 millimetres], plein veau epoque, dos a nerfs orne, tranches rouges, [8]-196 ; 126-[22] ; [8]-194 pages. (Coiffes, charnieres et coins restaures.) Edition originale. C'est un petit evenement mondain, la presence a Paris d'un enfant noir albinos qu'on exhibait dans les salons, qui offrit a Maupertuis l'occasion d'ecrire sur la question de la generation deux petits ouvrages de circonstances qui allaient avoir un grand retentissement. Ce fut d'abord la Dissertation sur le negre blanc, parue en 1744 ; puis la Venus physique en 1745. Le Negre blanc n'est qu'un pretexte, il permet a Maupertuis de retablir le principe de l'epigenese ; il est repris integralement dans la Venus physique, dont il forme la premiere partie. C'est seulement dans la Venus physique, stricto sensu, qu'il est question du probleme des races humaines et des variations hereditaires. Les deux autres pieces, qui ouvrent ce recueil, concernent la Faculte de medecine de Paris. La premiere est une reimpression d'un recueil des statuts et usages de la Faculte par le medecin BARON qui en fut le doyen. BARBIER IV, 922. Sur la pensee de Maupertuis on lira, Jacques ROGER, Les Sciences de la vie dans la pensee francaise au XVIIIe siecle, Albin Michel, 1993, 468-487. BON EXEMPLAIRE. 1000

[SW: LIVRES ANCIENS VARIA MAUPERTUIS PIERRE LOUIS MOREAU VENUS PHYSIQUE 00147376 LAN40 28E]

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de Maupertuis, Pierre-Louis Moreau: The Earthly Venus by Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis. [SERIES]: The Sources of Science, No. 29. Translated from 'Venus Physique' (Les Oeuvres de Maupertius, T.2, Berlin and Lyon, 1753) by Simone Brangier Boas. With Notes and an Introduction by George Boas, New York / London Johnson Reprint Corporation 1966
The book is in : English Biology Natural Sciences Science

An extremely rare translation into English of (1698-1759) of 'Venus Physique', a classic treatise in biology by Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, the great French mathematician, philosopher, man of letters and a pioneer in the study of genetics. 220x140mm. 86 pages. Hardcover. Gilt cover and spine. Dust jacket somewhat worn, jacket edges slightly tattered. Spine edges slightly bumped. Pages slightly yellowing. Pencil marks on front inner cover upper corner. [SUMMARY]: This classic treatise in a rare English translation is in very good condition.

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Maupertuis, P.L. Moreau de: Venus Physique,

in 2 parts being: une dissertation sur l'origine des Hommes et des animaux et une dissertation sur l'origine des Noirs. (Paris) 1746. small 8vo. 2 halftitles and 224p. Orig. boards.* Second enlarged edition. DSB vol. IX p.186-189: "Maupertuis's "Venus Physique" refuted the pre-formationist theories of embryonic development held by most of his contemporaries of the then-discredited epigenetic hypothesis, which Maupertuis had adopted after considering the obvious facts of biparental heredity" The British Library has a "cinquieme edition" dated 1748. Maupertius' theories of biparental heredity and epigenesis substantially anticipated those of Darwin and Mendel. "Maupertuis attacked the "preformation" theory, pointing out many contradictions to it by the simple process of reasoning from readily available observations. His speculations about evolution were not generally appreciated but his transformist theory is now considered an anticipation of the modern concept of mutation." (Garrison-Morton 215.1) In this remarkable observation Maupertuis may be said to have been a prophetic precursor of the recent exiting discoveries of the molecular structure of DNA by J. Watson and F. Crick a.o., who through the methods of physical chemistry are unraveling the mystery of the basic structure of organic matter! See also Glass, Forerunners of Darwin 1745-1859. p.67-72: Maupertius' Theory of Heredity and the origin of the Foetus... We added: Voss, A. Ueber die Principe von Hamilton und Maupertuis. Göttingen, Nachr. K. Ges. Wiss., 1900. 6p. (and) Idem, Ueber ein energetisches Grundgesetz der Mechanik (1901). 25p. (and) Grundlegung der Mechanik (1902). 120p. H.cloth.

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MAUPERTUIS (P. le Moreau de). Venus Physique. s.l., 1745.

Petit in-12. 4ff. 194pp. (i.e. 224). (1f.blanc). Plein veau blond, dos a nerfs orne (Reliure de l'epoque). Edition Originale de cet ouvrage important pour l'histoire des theories genetiques. "The Venus Physique of 1745 was an enlarged and more fully analyzed argument against the then-dominant biological theory of the preformation of the embryo. Maupertuis argued convincingly that the embryo could not be preformed, either in the egg or in the animalcule (spermatozoon), since hereditary characteristics could be passed down equally through the male or the female parent" (D.S.B.). La 'Dissertation Physique a l'occasion du Negre Blanc', qui occupe la premiere partie du volume, avait ete publiee separement l'annee precedente et elle contient egalement d'importantes contributions a la theorie genetique. Petits defauts a la reliure. Bon exemplaire. Garrison-Morton, 215-2. Norman cat. 654.

[SW: SCIENCES; Embryologie-Generation; Biologie; Genetique; Livre en langue francaise;]

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