Popular Science Monthly/Volume 35/June 1889/Obituary Notes

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OBITUARY NOTES.

M. Chevreul died at his home in Paris, from natural exhaustion of his vital force, April 9th, at the age of one hundred and two years, eleven months, and nine days. He had lived very quietly since the celebration of the completion of his one hundredth year, August 31, 1886. He was accustomed to drive daily to see the progress made in the erection of the Eiffel Tower. His son, M. Henri Chevreul, had recently died; and, although the fact had not been communicated to him, he seemed to have some suspicion of it, and to be anxious. On his return from his last drive, the Wednesday before his death, he was very weak, and had to be helped, with some difficulty, up to his apartments; and it was evident that the end was approaching. He sank gradually, without pain, till the morning of the 9th, when he expired.

Charles Martins, an eminent student in several branches of science, died in Paris, March 7th, in his eighty-third year. He was appointed a Fellow in Natural History in the Faculty of Medicine in 1839; lectured on geology at the Sorbonne; became Professor of Botany at Montpellier in 1851; was elected to the Academy of Sciences, Section of Rural Economy, in 1863. He was also a great traveler; in his long career, he devoted himself with equal success to the study of meteorology, physics, botany, paleontology, comparative anatomy, and physiology. Wherever he went, he studied alike the customs, fauna and flora, and the physical phenomena of the region, and he described them all in his book, "From Spitzenberg to the Sahara." With Bravais and Lepileur he ascended Mont Blanc in 1844, and verified the results which De Saussure had reached.

Prof. Donders, of the University of Utrecht, one of the first of contemporary physiologists, has recently died. He was the author of valuable studies on accommodation (of eye-sight), binocular vision, astigmatism, and phonation, which have become standards.

The Rev. Dr. Frederick A. P. Barnard, late President of Columbia College, died at his home in this city, April 27th, a few days less than eighty years of age. We gave a sketch of his earlier life in the "Monthly" for May, 1877, and purpose to publish in a future number a fitting memorial of the great services which he rendered to the cause of education.

M. G. Meninghini, Professor of Geology in the University of Pisa since 1849, died January 29th, seventy-eight years of age.

Signor Angelo Genocchi, President of the Academy of Sciences of Turin, died March 7th, aged seventy-one years.