The IET Library holds two books by the physician, politician, revolutionary and scientist Jean-Paul Marat. Recherches Physiques sur le Feu (1780) and Recherches Physiques sur L’Électricité (1782) are part of the collection of Silvanus P. Thompson purchased in 1917 by the IET. You can find out more about Thompson, his work and his association with the IET here.
While Marat is often remembered primarily for his political activities, and particularly his role in the French Revolution of 1789-1799, his scientific contributions, show that he was an innovative thinker, willing to challenge established theories and committed to empirical research methods. Although some of Marat’s scientific theories were eventually proven incorrect, his works on fire and electricity reflect a deep engagement with the natural world and a desire to harness scientific knowledge for practical and societal benefits.
Published in 1780, Recherches physiques sur le feu is Marat’s first large scale publication of experimental science. In the book, he delves into the nature of fire and heat. Marat begins by challenging the prevailing theories of his time, particularly those of the renowned chemist Antoine Lavoisier. Lavoisier had proposed that fire was the result of the combustion of a substance with oxygen. Marat, however, put forth an alternative hypothesis, suggesting that fire was a physical entity, akin to a fluid, rather than a chemical process. He conducted various experiments to support his theory, examining the properties of heat and its effects on different materials.
Marat fell out of favour with the Academy of Sciences when he asked them to endorse his work. Although they commented favourably on his methods, they declined to endorse his conclusions. However, Marat published the book claiming their endorsement. This marked a rift between Marat and members of the Academy of Sciences, particularly Lavoisier.
Marat’s research was focused on the practical applications of his findings. He explored how different substances reacted to heat and how this knowledge could be applied to improve industrial processes and everyday life. Although many of Marat’s conclusions were eventually superseded by later scientific advancements, his work is characterized by his belief in the scientific method and desire to challenge established theories.
Recherches Physiques sur L’Électricité is the third major work of scientific writing that Marat undertook. Published in 1782, Marat’s investigations into electricity were extensive and varied. He sought to understand the nature of electrical forces, how they could be generated, and their effects on different materials. Much like his work on fire, Marat’s approach was experimental, involving detailed observations and reporting. The book outlines 214 experiments covering a range of uses of electricity.
One of the significant sections is Marat’s exploration of the relationship between electricity and magnetism. He conducted experiments to investigate how electrical currents could influence magnetic fields and vice versa, anticipating some aspects of the later discoveries by scientists like Michael Faraday. Marat’s work is an important contribution to the study of electromagnetism, even if his conclusions were not entirely accurate by modern standards.
Marat examined the medical applications of electricity, a field that was gaining popularity at the time. His work contributed to the early understanding of how electricity could interact with the human body, influencing both scientific and medical communities. He also wrote a shorter work on this topic, Mémoire sur l’électricité médicale, published in 1783.
Who was Jean-Paul Marat?
Jean-Paul Marat is primarily known for his involvement in the French Revolution, a period marked by dramatic social and political upheaval in France. His newspaper, L’Ami du people, was regarded as one of the most radical publications of the time and strongly supported the rights of the working classes and opposed the aristocracy and monarchy. His political writings before and during the French Revolution are numerous and express his radical politics, but in this blog we are going to look at his history as a physician, scientist and scientific writer.
Jean-Paul Marat was born on May 24, 1743, in Boudry, Switzerland, to an Italian father and Swiss mother. He showed early promise in his education, eventually studying medicine in France and later moving to England to further his studies. In 1773, Marat published his first significant scientific work, Essay on the Human Soul, which explored the relationship between the mind and the body, a topic that preoccupied many Enlightenment thinkers. He published two medical papers on gonorrhea and diseases of the eyes and, on the recommendation of the Scottish physicians, William Buchan and Hugh James, he was granted a medical degree from the University of St Andrews.
On returning to Paris Marat began to develop a career as a physician and was appointed as physician to the bodyguard of the Comte d’Artois, Louis XVI’s youngest brother who would become king Charles X in 1824. With the money he received from his role as a court physician he was able to set up a laboratory where he carried out many of the experiments that would inform his three major works of scientific writing. As well as the books held by the IET Library detailed above he also wrote Découvertes sur la Lumière which was published in 1780. In Découvertes sur la Lumière Marat’s intention was to prove that Newton, the authority on light and colour, was wrong in some of his theories. The Academy of Sciences refused to endorse this work and it was printed in London rather than Paris.
Marat was murdered whilst he was in the bath by Charlotte Corday on 13 July 1793. Corday was a member of a rival political faction, the Girondins, and was guillotined on 17 July 1793. He is remembered today for his radical politics and commitment to revolutionary values, but it should not be forgotten that he was also an important experimental scientist and scientific writer who sought to challenge much of the accepted views of the time.
By Daniel Simkin,
Deputy Library Manager
References
The Medical Career of Jean-Paul Marat, H. P. Bayon (1944).
A People’s History of the French Revolution, Éric Hazan (2014).
Collection Reference: SPT/RB/8vo/388
