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

Note: the creators of the Galileo Project and this catalogue cannot answer email on geneological questions.