René Just Haüy
Encyclopedia
René Just Haüy was a French
mineralogist, commonly styled the Abbé Haüy after he was made an honorary canon of Notre Dame. He is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Crystallography."
, in the département of Oise
. His parents were of a humble rank of life, and were only enabled by the kindness of friends to send their son to the College of Navarre and later to the College of Lemoine. Haüy became an ordained Roman Catholic Priest. Becoming one of the teachers at Lemoine, he began to devote his leisure hours to the study of botany
, but an accident directed his attention to another field in natural history. He happened to let fall a specimen of calcareous spar which belonged to a friend; examining the fragments, he was led to make experiments which resulted in the statement of the geometrical law of crystallization
associated with his name.
The value of this discovery, the mathematical theory of which is given by Haüy in his Traité de minéralogie, was immediately recognized, and when communicated to the Academy, it secured for its author a place in that society. Haüy's name is also known for the observations he made in pyroelectricity
.
When the Revolution
broke out, Haüy was thrown into prison; he was in danger of losing his life until Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
interceded on his behalf. In 1802, under Napoleon
, he became professor of mineralogy at the National Museum of Natural History
and founder of the Musée de Minéralogie
, but after 1814 he was deprived of his appointments by the Restoration
government. His final days were consequently clouded by poverty, but the courage and high moral qualities which had helped him in his youth did not desert him in his old age; he lived cheerful and respected till his death in Paris
.
In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
. His name is one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
His brother was Valentin Haüy
, the founder of the first school for the blind. The mineral Hauyne
was named for Haüy and occurs in silica deficient igneous rocks in a wide variety of locations.
He also contributed papers, of which 100 are enumerated in the Royal Society's catalogue, to various scientific journals, especially the Journal de physique and the Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mineralogist, commonly styled the Abbé Haüy after he was made an honorary canon of Notre Dame. He is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Crystallography."
Biography
Haüy was born at Saint-Just-en-ChausséeSaint-Just-en-Chaussée
Saint-Just-en-Chaussée is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-History:Its name refers to Saint Justus of Beauvais, who is said to have been martyred at this spot.-Notable people:...
, in the département of Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. His parents were of a humble rank of life, and were only enabled by the kindness of friends to send their son to the College of Navarre and later to the College of Lemoine. Haüy became an ordained Roman Catholic Priest. Becoming one of the teachers at Lemoine, he began to devote his leisure hours to the study of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, but an accident directed his attention to another field in natural history. He happened to let fall a specimen of calcareous spar which belonged to a friend; examining the fragments, he was led to make experiments which resulted in the statement of the geometrical law of crystallization
Crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of the arrangement of atoms in solids. The word "crystallography" derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop / frozen drop, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write.Before the development of...
associated with his name.
The value of this discovery, the mathematical theory of which is given by Haüy in his Traité de minéralogie, was immediately recognized, and when communicated to the Academy, it secured for its author a place in that society. Haüy's name is also known for the observations he made in pyroelectricity
Pyroelectricity
Pyroelectricity is the ability of certain materials to generate a temporary voltage when they are heated or cooled. The change in temperature modifies the positions of the atoms slightly within the crystal structure, such that the polarization of the material changes. This polarization change...
.
When the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
broke out, Haüy was thrown into prison; he was in danger of losing his life until Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire was a French naturalist who established the principle of "unity of composition". He was a colleague of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and expanded and defended Lamarck's evolutionary theories...
interceded on his behalf. In 1802, under Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, he became professor of mineralogy at the National Museum of Natural History
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
and founder of the Musée de Minéralogie
Musée de Minéralogie
The Musée de Minéralogie is a museum of mineralogy operated by the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris . It is located in the 6th arrondissement at 60, boulevard Saint Michel, Paris, France, and open daily except Sunday and Monday; an admission fee is charged.The school was established in...
, but after 1814 he was deprived of his appointments by the Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
government. His final days were consequently clouded by poverty, but the courage and high moral qualities which had helped him in his youth did not desert him in his old age; he lived cheerful and respected till his death in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
. His name is one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
His brother was Valentin Haüy
Valentin Haüy
Valentin Haüy - 19 March 1822 in Paris) was the founder, in 1784, of the first school for the blind, the Royal Institution for the Young Blind in Paris . In 1819, Louis Braille entered this school....
, the founder of the first school for the blind. The mineral Hauyne
Hauyne
Hauyne, haüyne or hauynite was first described in 1807 from samples discovered in Vesuvian lavas in Monte Somma, Italy, and was named in 1807 by Brunn-Neergard for the French crystallographer René Just Haüy . It is a tectosilicate mineral with sulfate, with endmember formula Na3CaO12. As much as...
was named for Haüy and occurs in silica deficient igneous rocks in a wide variety of locations.
Works
The following are Haüy's principal works:- Essai d'une théorie sur la structure des crystaux (1784) BNF
- Exposition raisonné de la théorie de l'électricité et du magnétisme, d'après les principes d'Æpinus (1787) BNF
- De la structure considérée comme caractère distinctif des minéraux (1793)
- Exposition abrégé de la théorie de la structure des cristaux (1793) BNF
- Extrait d'un traité élémentaire de minéralogie (1797)
- Traité de minéralogie (5 vols, 1801) BNF: Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 Vol 4 Vol 5
- Traité élémentaire de physique (2 vols 1803, 1806) Google Books
- Tableau comparatif des résultats de la cristallographie, et de l'analyse chimique relativement à la classification des minéraux (1809) BNF
- Traité des pierres précieuses (1817) BNF
- Traité de cristallographie (2 vols, 1822) Google Books
He also contributed papers, of which 100 are enumerated in the Royal Society's catalogue, to various scientific journals, especially the Journal de physique and the Annales du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle.