France: Notable Scientists, Mathematicians, and Inventors (and their Contributions, Works, and Notable Biographical Information)

946 - 1003 - Gerbert of Aurillac (All Facts)

• He eventually became and was most famous for being Pope Sylvester II

• However, prior to the papacy, he was a popular French mathematician and inventor

• He is thought to have introduced the astrolabe and Arabic (Indian) numerals from Cordoba into Europe

• He is credited with the invention of the medical clock

1288 - 1384 - Gersonides / Levi Ben Gerson (All Facts)

• French Jewish Mathematician, Physician and Astronomer / Astrologer from Provence

• He popularized the use of the Cross Staff, a primitive form of sextant, for use in navigation

1325 - 1382 - Nicolas Oresme (All Facts)

• French Astronomer, Economist, and Scholar

• He was a skillful debater and subtle thinker

• He was the first man to think of the heavens as a gigantic clock mechanism

• He carried out many mathematical calculations of planetary motions and, in doing so, concluded that the behavior of the earth in relation to the universe was rather different from that depicted by astrologers

• His ideas and speculations were widely discussion even in his own day

1325 - 1382 - Nicolas Oresme: Book on Divinations (All Facts)

• Work in which the namesake author attacked the deterministic belief of astrologers that human actions are guided by the stars

• Work in which the namesake author criticized the use of black magic

1325 - 1382 - Nicolas Oresme: On the Heavens (All Facts)

• Work in which the namesake author questions Aristotle’s view that the stars move around a stationary earth

• Work in which the namesake author criticized Aristotle’s doctrine of motion, and was instead influenced by Philoponos’s conception / idea of “impetus” that was a primitive theory of motion later developed by Galileo

• Work in which the namesake author reveals one of his most intriguing thoughts, which was that there may be universes other than our own

1483 - 1553 - Francois Rabelais (All Facts)

• French Physician

  • He was the physician of the municipal hospital at Lyons

1510 - 1590 - Ambroise Pare (All Facts)

• French Inventor and Army Surgeon

  • He gained a reputation in the field for his treatment of gunshot wounds

• He invented artificial limbs, mechanical devices which mimicked the movements of natural limbs to replace amputated legs or arms

  • He developed an innovation in medical treatment which gave new hope to those unfortunate enough to lose limbs on the battlefield and elsewhere

  • Although he was not the first person in history to attempt some kind of prosthesis for amputees, his innovation was the most sophisticated developed up until that point

  • One hand a holder for a pen, another had fingers which moved with the aid of tiny cog wheels