Flourens

Flourens Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens, 1794-1867), known French physiologist and physician. His first scientific works appeared in 1819. At the Paris Atheneum, F. gave public lectures on the physiological theory of the senses and presented to the Academy a series of works on physiology that attracted universal attention. In 1828, F. was elected a member of the Medical Academy of Sciences, and in 1830 he received the chair of comparative anatomy. In 1832, he was made professor at the museum, and in 1840 he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences. In 1837, F. was elected deputy, and in 1846 Louis-Philippe appointed F. peer of France. Among F.'s works, his works on the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system are particularly distinguished; "Recherches experimentales sur les proprietes et les fonctions du systeme nerveux dans les animaux vertebres" (P., 1824), "Experiences sur le systeme nerveux faisant suite aux recherches experimentales" (P., 1825), which brought him world fame. Most of his physiological works F. performed on birds. Among his works, F. paid great attention to the physiology of the cerebellum, semicircular canals, visual thalamus, and corpora quadrigemina; according to F., the striated body has no independent function. On the basis of his experiments, F. is a supporter of the doctrine of the unity of psychological functions, according to which all parts of the cerebral hemispheres participate equally in the psychic life of the animal and human. This doctrine corresponded to the prevailing view of that time about the unity of consciousness. Furthermore, F. showed that damage to the area of the medulla oblongata above the writing pen (calamus scriptorius) causes cessation of respiratory movements (discovery of the so-called vital center - noeud vital). Along with special works, F. published a number of works of philosophical content.