Morin, Jean-Baptiste

1. Dates
Born: Villefranche, Beaujolais, 23 Feb 1583
Died: Paris, 6 Nov 1656
Dateinfo: Dates Certain
Lifespan: 73
2. Father
Occupation: No Information
No information on financial status.
3. Nationality
Birth: Villefranche, Beaujolais, France
Career: France
Death: Paris, France
4. Education
Schooling: Avignon, M.D.
1609, studying philosophy at Aix. I assume B.A.
1611, studying medicine at Avignon. 1613, received the M.D.
5. Religion
Affiliation: Catholic : Catholic (assumed)
6. Scientific Disciplines
Primary: Medicine, Astronomy, Astrology
7. Means of Support
Primary: Patronage, Academia, Astrology
1613-1621, supported by the Bishop of Boulogne, who sent him on a long trip to Germany, Hungary, and Transylvania, to visit mines and study metals, and made use of his astrological predictions.
1621-1629, supported by the Duke of Luxembourg.
1630-1656, professor of mathematics at the College Royal.
Judicial astrology provided him with an income of 4000 livres/year.
8. Patronage
Types: Aristrocrat, Eccesiastic Official, Government Official, Court Official
The Bishop of Boulogne, and the Duke of Luxembourg were his major patrons.
1629, Morin turned down an offer of patronage from Marhsall d'Essiat.
In addition, Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin consulted with him. Cardinal Mazarin gave him an annual pension of 2000 livres.
The printing of Astrologia gallica (The Hague, 1661) was paid for by Louise-Marie de Gonzaga, Queen of Poland.
Unknown influential people probably got him the post at the College Royal.
9. Technological Involvement
Types: Navigation, Instruments
Perhaps he practiced medicine while supported by the Bishop and the Duke. I confess to extreme skepticism on this, however; I'll bet a month's salary it was the astrology.
Morin developed a method to determine longitude based on the moon. Because of the primitive state of lunar theory then, the method was impractical.
He proposed the replacement of pinnules with telescopes on astronomical instruments.
10. Scientific Societies
Memberships: None
Sources
  1. J.P. Niceron, Mémoires pour servir a l'histoire des hommes illustres..., 3 (Paris, 1729), 86-102. [Lilly Z1010.N5 v.3]
  2. L. Moreri, Le grande dictionnaire historique..., 6 (18th ed.; Amsterdam, 1740), 456. [D9.M8]
  3. Robert McKeon, "Les débuts de l'astronomie de precision," Physis, 13 (1971), 225-88; 14 (1972), 221-42; especially 14, 224-7.
Not Available and Not Consulted
  1. "Morin" in Pierre Costabel and Minette Martinet, Quelques savants et amateurs de science au XVIIe siècle, (Paris, 1986).
Compiled by:
Richard S. Westfall
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
Indiana University

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