Michel Étienne Descourtilz
Encyclopedia
Michel Étienne Descourtilz (25 November 1775, Boiste near Pithiviers
– 1835, Paris), was a French physician, botanist and historiographer of the Haitian revolution
.
In 1799, after completing his medical studies he traveled to Charleston, South Carolina
and Santiago, Cuba
, arriving in Haiti on 2 April.
Despite a passport from Toussaint Louverture and serving as physician with the forces of Dessalines
he was in constant danger. His plant collections were mostly from between Port-au-Prince
and Cap-Haïtien
and along the Artibonite River
. All his natural history collections and many drawings were destroyed during the course of the revolution. In 1803 he returned to France, worked as a physician in a hospital at Beaumont
and served as president of the Paris Linnean Society.
Pithiviers
Pithiviers is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It is twinned with Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, England....
– 1835, Paris), was a French physician, botanist and historiographer of the Haitian revolution
Haïtian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
.
In 1799, after completing his medical studies he traveled to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and Santiago, Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, arriving in Haiti on 2 April.
Despite a passport from Toussaint Louverture and serving as physician with the forces of Dessalines
Dessalines
Dessalines can refer to:* Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a general and statesman of Haiti.** La Dessalinienne, the national anthem of Haiti named in his honor.** Arrondissement of Dessalines, a Haitian arrondissement in the Artibonite Department...
he was in constant danger. His plant collections were mostly from between Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
and Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
and along the Artibonite River
Artibonite River
The Artibonite River is a 320 km long river in Haiti . It is the longest as well as the most important river in Haiti and the longest on the island of Hispaniola. Forming part of the international border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the river's sources are in the Cordillera Central in...
. All his natural history collections and many drawings were destroyed during the course of the revolution. In 1803 he returned to France, worked as a physician in a hospital at Beaumont
Beaumont
-Canada:* Beaumont, Alberta* Lushes Bight – Beaumont – Beaumont North, Newfoundland and Labrador* Beaumont, Quebec- France :The following communes:* Beaumont, Ardèche* Beaumont, Corrèze* Beaumont, Gers* Beaumont, Haute-Loire* Beaumont, Meurthe-et-Moselle...
and served as president of the Paris Linnean Society.
Sources
- Urban, Ignaz. Notae biographicae, Symb. Antill. 3:36,1900.
- Biography in French with bibliography from the Dictionnaire encyclopédique des sciences médicales.
External links
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do?find_family=&find_genus=&find_species=&find_infrafamily=&find_infragenus=&find_infraspecies=&find_authorAbbrev=Descourt.&find_includePublicationAuthors=on&find_includePublicationAuthors=off&find_includeBasionymAuthors=on&find_includeBasionymAuthors=off&find_publicationTitle=&show_extras=on&find_geoUnit=&find_addedSince=&find_modifiedSince=&find_isAPNIRecord=on&find_isAPNIRecord=false&find_isGCIRecord=on&find_isGCIRecord=false&find_isIKRecord=on&find_isIKRecord=false&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&find_sortByFamily=on&find_sortByFamily=off&query_type=by_query&back_page=plantsearchPlants described by Descourtilz on IPNI]
- Digitized works by Descourtilz on the Internet Archive.