Michel Sarrazin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michel Sarrazin (5 September 1659 – 8 September 1734) was an early Canadian scientist and naturalist. He arrived in New France in 1685. In 1686, he was made surgeon-major and he continued in that position until 1692 when he was succeeded by Pierre Baudeau.
Sarrazin spent three years more years studying medicine. He was then introduced to botany by scientist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort . He spent almost thirty years collecting and observing plants and minerals. He was the first person to collect and catalog plant specimens systematically. Sarrazin also dissected animals and sent his tests to scientists in France. His herbarium of dried plants is said to contain about eight hundred species. He cared for the soldiers, fur traders, settlers, and native people for 50 years. Michel Sarrazin helped hundreds of troops recover from smallpox, yellow fever, and influenza. His work was continued by Jean-Francois Gaultier.
The Prix Michel-Sarrazin was named for him.
[edit] Sources
- Michel Sarrazin at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- The Canadian Physiological Society Sarrazin lectureship
- Club de Recherches Cliniques du Québec (French)
- La Fondation de la Maison Michel-Sarrazin (French).
