Jean Paul Marat

MARAT, Jean Paul (1743–93), one of the greatest figures of the Great French Revolution, a physician by profession, who produced a number of interesting and valuable medical works. He was born in the town of Boudry (Switzerland). In 1767, he left for England, where, having spent 10 years, he studied medicine. In 1775, he received a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Edinburgh. He was an epidemic physician in Newcastle. In 1772–73, he published his first work in London, "Philosophical Essay on Man." This work was directed against the materialism of Helvetius, for which Marat was subjected to sharp criticism by Voltaire, who spoke out in defense of Helvetius. Of particular interest is the thought expressed by Marat in this work that "every person owes the character of his psyche to the structure of his body." In 1774, Marat released the political pamphlet "The Chains of Slavery," where he criticized the social contradictions of England. Following that, he released 2 purely medical works. One work on chronic gonorrhea, where "the shortcomings of modern treatment methods are clearly set forth and the means for its cure are indicated." In this work, he proposed the use of medicinal bougies and douching with astringent solutions. In the second work on rarely observed eye diseases, Marat described 4 cases of iris disease with almost complete loss of vision, which developed after mercury treatment. The analysis of the origin of astigmatism given here by Marat also reveals him as an advanced physician of his time. In 1777, Marat returned to Paris, where he entered the service as a physician to the Count d'Artois. He acquired great popularity as a practical physician. He proposed "anti-pneumatic water" for the treatment of tuberculosis, which was, in essence, nothing other than ordinary lime water with an admixture of other alkalis. Soon Marat abandoned practical activity and devoted himself to scientific work, publishing in 1779 "Marat's Discoveries in the Field of Fire, Electricity, and Light Based on New Experiments Verified by Experts of the Paris Academy of Sciences." In 1783, he received a gold medal at a competition of the Rouen Academy of Sciences for the essay "On the Application of Electricity in Medicine." He also invented a number of valuable instruments for measuring electricity, etc. His works on electricity were of great interest to Franklin. In all these works, Marat presented many new ideas, sometimes fruitful (the doctrine of electrotherapy), sometimes erroneous (refutation of Newton's theory of spectra). In 1780, Marat released a "Plan for Criminal Law." In 1788, his last scientific work, "New Discoveries on Light," was written. The unfolding revolution interrupted Marat's scientific activity, and he devoted himself entirely to political work. He wrote a number of political pamphlets and in 1789 founded his famous newspaper "The Friend of the People" ("Ami du peuple"). He acquired the greatest popularity among the broad masses of the people. He was one of the ideologues of revolutionary terror. In 1793, he fell ill with a severe form of eczema, for which he was treated with baths. In the bath, he met his death at the hand of a counter-revolutionary woman.