Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

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Famous Great Gallery of Evolution
Famous Great Gallery of Evolution
Arsinoitherium zitteli, shown at the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy
Arsinoitherium zitteli, shown at the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy

The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) is the French national museum of natural history.

Contents

History

The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution. Its origins lie, however, in the Jardin royal des plantes médicinales (Royal Medicinal Plant Garden) created by King Louis XIII in 1635, which was directed and run by the royal physicians. The royal proclamation of the boy-king Louis XV on 31 March 1718, however, removed the medical function, enabling the garden—which became known simply as the Jardin du Roi (King's Garden)—to focus on natural history.

For much of the 18th century (1739–1788), the garden was under the direction of Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, one of the leading naturalists of the Enlightenment, bringing international fame and prestige to the establishment. Incorporated as the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in 1793, opening in 1794 with, as one of its foundation professors, eminent evolutionary pioneer Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, it continued to flourish over the next century, and, particularly under the direction of chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul, became a rival to the University of Paris in scientific research. For example, while Henri Becquerel held the chair for Applied Physics at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle from 1892 till 1908 he discovered the radiation properties of uranium. It has to be noted that four generations of Becquerel had this position from 1838 untll 1948.[1]

A decree of 12 December 1891 ended this phase, returning the museum to an emphasis on natural history. After receiving financial autonomy in 1907, it began a new phase of growth, opening facilities throughout France during the interwar years. In recent decades, it has concentrated its research and education efforts on the effects of human exploitation on the environment. Administratively speaking, it is classed as a grand établissement of higher education.

Mission and organization

The museum has as its mission both research (fundamental and applied) and public diffusion of knowledge. It is organized into seven research and three diffusion departments. The former are Classification and Evolution; Regulation, Development, and Molecular Diversity; Aquatic Environments and Populations; Ecology and Biodiversity Management; History of Earth; Men, Nature, and Societies; and Prehistory. The latter are the Galleries of the Jardin des Plantes; Botanical Parks and Zoos; and the Museum of Man (Musée de l'Homme).

Location and branches

The museum includes sites throughout France, including the original location at the Jardin des Plantes in the Ve arrondissement in Paris (métro Place Monge). The galleries there include the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology, the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy, and the famous Grand Gallery of Evolution (Grande Galerie de l'évolution). The museum's Menagerie is also located here.

Main façade of the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy.
Main façade of the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy.

The Musée de l'Homme is also in Paris, in the XVIe arrondissement (métro Trocadéro). It houses displays in ethnography and physical anthropology, including artifacts, fossils, and other objects.

Two zoos, the Parc zoologique de Paris (also known as the Zoo de Vincennes), at the Bois de Vincennes in the XIIe arrondissement, and the Parc zoologique de Clères, at a mediæval manor in Clères (Seine-Maritime), are also part of the museum.

Directors of the Museum

Directors elected for one year:

Directors elected for two years:

Directors elected for five years:

Presidents elected for five years:

Chairs

The transformation of the Jardin from the medicinal garden of the King to a national public museum of natural history required the creation of twelve Chaired positions. Over the ensuing years the number of Chairs and their subject areas evolved, some being subdivided into two positions and others removed. (These titles have been translated from the French. For the original French designations, see the French Wikipedia page on the same subject by clicking the word "français" in the lefthand margin of this page).

  • Botany (Classification and Natural Families)

Zoology (Insects, Worms and Microscopic Animals) [2]

  • Entomology of Colonial Agriculture
    • 1942 to 1958 Paul Vayssière. This Chair was then renamed Entomology of Tropical Agriculture.
      • Entomology of Tropical Agriculture
  • Natural Iconography or the Art of Drawing and Painting all the Things of Nature

See also

References

  1. ^ A. Allisy (1996). "Henri Becquerel: The Discovery of Radioactivity". Radiation Protection Dosimetry 68: 3–10. 
  2. ^ See: Jean Lhoste (1987), French entomologists (1750-1950). Editions INRA/OPIE. (In French)

External links

Coordinates: 48.842109° N 2.356286° E

Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 3 September 2008, at 02:08.

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