| Michel-Eugene Chevreul | |
 | |
| Birth: | 31 August 1786 Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France |
| Death: | 9 April 1889 Paris, France |
| Age: | 102 years, 221 days |
| Country: |  FRA
|
| Centenarian | |
Michel-Eugene Chevreul [French: Michel-Eugène Chevreul] (31 August 1786 – 9 April 1889) of France was a chemist, pioneer in the field of gerontology, and centenarian.
Biography[]
Michel-Eugene Chevreul was born on 31 August 1786 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. His father, grandfather, and a great-uncle were surgeons. After receiving a private education during the French Revolution, in 1799 Chevreul entered a new scientific school in Angers. In 1803 he left for Paris, intending to become a chemist. He was noted, in particular, for his study of fatty acids and his disdain for "charlatanism". In 1829, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1868. He produced a treatise debunking psychic phenomena in 1854 and a psychological study of the changes associated with old age in 1875. At his work he was awarded of Copley Medal in 1857 and Albert Medal in 1873.
In 1886, Chevreul was one of the first "famous people" to celebrate their 100th birthday (Sir Moses Montefiore turned 100 in 1884). He is one of the 72 French scientists, mathematicians, and engineers whose names are inscribed on the Eiffel Tower; of those 72, Chevreul was one of only two who were still alive when Gustave Eiffel planted the French Tricolor on the top of the tower on 31 March 1889 (the other being Hippolyte Fizeau). He died on 9 April 1889 in Paris, France, at the age of 102 years and 221 days, thirteen days after his son had died. He was honoured with a public funeral. In 1901 a statue was erected to his memory in the museum with which he was connected for so many years.
References[]
- MICHEL EUGÈNE CHEVREUL Universalis
- Biography of Michel-Eugene Chevreul
- Obituary of Michel-Eugene Chevreul Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 35. June 1889.