A physicist and mechanician, b. at Paris, 19 Sept., 1819; d. there 11 Feb., 1808. He received his early schooling at home and showed his mechanical skill by constructing a boat, a mechanical telegraph, and a working steam-engine. He passed the examinations for the B.A. and began to study medicine. Later, unable to bear the sight of blood, he abandoned medicine and worked for Donné as preparator in his course on medical microscopy. His elementary mathematical and scientific …showed first 75 words of 595 total…

…showed last 75 words of 595 total…stroke of paralysis put an untimely end to his useful work, just as he was about to enjoy the comforts of a well-equipped laboratory. His contributions to science are found in the "Comptes rendus", "Procés verbaux de la Société Philomathique", and "Bibliothèque d'Instruction populaire". His collected works have been put in order by C.M. Gabriel and published by his mother, "Recueil des Travaux Scientifiques de Léon Foucault" (Paris, 1878). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**