sciences. The same year he read a learned paper on respiration. He joined afterwards with M. Morand, a celebrated surgeon, in collecting and translating all the English
, a member of the French academy of sciences, was born at Paris, Sept. 14, 1713, of a good family, and after having studied humanities in the Mazarin college, and a course of philosophy in the college of Beauvais, applied himself more particularly to medicine and law, and the oriental languages in the royal college. The great progress which he made in the latter, occasioned his being invited to Rheims to teach these languages, and to fill a professor’s chair; but this he declined out of respect to his father, who wished him to appear at the bar. Neither this, however, nor languages, were to his own liking, and his parents, after some consideration, allowed him to pursue his inclination for medicine, and natural history, to which he added a taste for general literature and criticism. In 1737, he began to give extracts from the London Philosophical Transactions, and this with so much judgment and ability as to excite the attention of the literati of France, who after revolving the plan, conceived that a translation of the Transactions with notes would be more useful than these extracts, and agreed that M. de Bremond should be requested to undertake it. He accordingly began the work, and published four vols. 4to. including the years 1731—1736, withacomplete index, and notes pointing out where the subjects are treated in the memoirs of other learned bodies, or in separate publications: some of these notes are complete dissertations. The royal society, on this, honoured him with the title of secretary; and on March 18, 1739, he was admitted into the French royal academy of sciences. The same year he read a learned paper on respiration. He joined afterwards with M. Morand, a celebrated surgeon, in collecting and translating all the English publications respecting Mrs. Stephens’s remedy for the stone, which once was thought infallible. He translated likewise Dr. Halley’s experiments on sea water, and Hauksbee’s experiments, 2 vols. 12mo; and Murdoch’s new loxodromic tables, for the construction of marine charts. This industrious writer died March 21, 1742, aged only twenty-nine. His eloge was composed by M. cle Mairan, then secretary to the academy.
, a celebrated surgeon and anatomist, the youngest son of Richard
, a celebrated surgeon and anatomist, the youngest son of Richard Cowper of Hampshire,
esq. was born in 1666, probably at Bishop’s Sutton, near
Alresford in that county, where he lies interred. After a
medical education, he practised in London, where his first
work, “Myotomia reformata, or a new administration of
all the Muscles of the Human Body,
” was published in
The Anatomy of Human
Bodies,
” many of the plates of which were purchased by
some London booksellers in Holland, and belonged to
Bidloo’s anatomy. The dispute which this occasioned, we
have already noticed (see Bidloo), and may now add that
it terminated very little to Cowper’s credit. Bidloo complained of the theft to the royal society, and wrote a very
severe pamphlet, entitled “Gul. Cowperus citatus coram
tribunali.
” Cowper, instead of acknowledging the impropriety of his conduct, published a virulent pamphlet, entitled “Vindiciae;
” in which he endeavours to shew that
they were not really Bidloo’s figures, but hacl been engraved by Swammerdam, and purchased by Bidloo from
Swammerdam’s widow, a malicious charge which some
subsequent writers have been malevolent enough to propagate and defend. Cowper has the merit of giving a description of some glands, seated near the neck of the bladder,
which have obtained the name of Cowper’s mucous glands.
He was also author of several communications to the royal
society, on the subjects of anatomy and surgery, which
are printed in their Transactions, and of some observations
inserted in the “Anthropologia
” of Drake. He is said to
have ruined his constitution by severe labour and watchings, and was seized at first with an asthmatic complaint,
and afterwards with the dropsy, of which he died March 8,
1709.
, a celebrated surgeon, was born at Paris, March 13, 1674. From
, a celebrated surgeon, was born
at Paris, March 13, 1674. From his childhood he displayed uncommon acuteness, and received his first instructions in anatomy from M. de Littre, a celebrated anatomist,
who resided in his father’s house. Under this master he
made such rapid progress, that he had scarcely attained the
age of twelve, when M. de Littre found that he might be
intrusted with the care of his anatomical theatre. He afterwards studied surgery under Castel and Mareschal, and
was admitted master in 1700. In the course of no long
time he became the first practitioner in Paris, and was “consulted in all cases of importance; and there were few operations of difficulty and delicacy which he did not superintend, or actually perform; and his hand and his counsels
were alike successful. Such a reputation soon extended
throughout Europe. In 1726 he was sent for by the king
of Poland, and again in 1734 by Don Ferdinand, afterwards king of Spain: he re-established the health of both
these princes, who endeavoured to retain him near their
persons with the offer of great rewards, but could not overcome his attachment to his native place. Among his professional honours was that of member of the academy of
^ciences, director of the academy of surgery, censor and
royal professor at the schools, and fellow of the royal society of London. He died at Paris, April 20, 1750, aged 76,
regretted as much for his private virtues as his public services. He communicated many memoirs to the academy of
sciences, and several to the academy of surgery, which
were printed in their first volume. His only separate publication was his
” Traite des Maladies des Os,“printed at
Paris in 1705, in 12mo, and frequently reprinted, with
additions. An edition in 1758, in two volumes, 12mo, was
published by M. Ant. Louis, with an historical and critical
essay respecting it subjoined; and his pupil, M. Leslie,
published his posthumous works in 1774, with the title of
” Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales et des Operations qui
leur conviennent," in three vols. 8vo, with many plates
of chirurgical instruments. His treatise on the bones involved him in several controversies; but the only chagrin
which he felt arose from finding Winslow, who, as censor
royal, had approved the work, retract his approbation, in
a letter inserted in the Journal des Savans for May 1725.