Pierre J. Macquer (370)

Pierre Joseph Macquer (9 October 1718–15 February 1784) was a physician, chemist, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1775. Born in Paris, he was interested in chemical research but went on to study at the Paris Faculty of Medicine, pressured by his parents to take up a profession. Graduating in 1742, Macquer had a brief stint as a physician, before dedicating himself once again to chemical research. He began lecturing at the Jardin du Roi (1742), joined the Academy of Sciences (1745), and started writing about and researching alcohol’s solubility in various oils, inorganic dehydrated salt, white arsenic, and Prussian blue. In 1749 he published his first chemistry textbook, which, unusually, he wrote prior to any teaching experience, something which he would not obtain until 1752 when he spent a year as Professor of Pharmacy at his alma mater. In 1757 Macquer teamed up with fellow chemist Antoine Baumé to teach a course in chemistry and demonstrate experiments. Afterwards, Macquer continued to lecture at the Jardin du Roi, becoming the titular professor in 1777. During this time, he served as director of the Academy of Sciences (1774), became a founding member of the Société Royal de Médecine (1776), and also wrote, published and revised his Dictionnaire de Chémie (1766-1778), which went on to be printed in multiple languages. In 1783, he began working on a comprehensive treatise on chemical dyeing, but soon hired an assistant as his health began to fail, and he died not long thereafter.