François-Napoléon-Marie Moigno

Physicist and author, b. at Guéméné (Morbihan), 15 April, 1804; d. at Saint-Denis (Seine), 14 July, 1884. He received his early education at the Jesuit college at Sainte-Anne d'Auray and entered the novitiate of the order 2 Sept., 1822. He made his theological studies at Montrouge, devoting his leisure to mathematics and physics in which he achieved much success. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution of 1830, he fled with his brethren to Brieg in Switzerland. Here he continued his studies and, being endowed with a remarkable memory, acquired at the same time several foreign languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. In 1836 he was appointed professor of mathematics at the well-known college of Ste-Geneviève, Rue des Postes, in Paris. Here he became widely known not only as a scholar, but also as a preacher and writer of ability. He wrote numerous articles for the press and was much esteemed by the scientific men of the time, including Cauchy, Arago, Dumas, Ampère, etc. He was engaged on one of his best known works, "Leçons de calcul différentiel et de calcul intégral", based chiefly on Cauchy's methods, and had already published the first volume, when he left the Society in 1843. Shortly afterwards he undertook a tour of Europe, contributing numerous letters to the journal "L'Epoque". He acted as chaplain of the Lycée Louis-le-Grand from 1848 to 1851. He became scientific editor of the "Presse" in 1850 and of the "Pays" in 1851 and in 1852 founded the well-known scientific journal "Cosmos". In 1862 he founded "Les Mondes" and became associated with the clergy of St-Germain des Prés. In 1873 he was appointed one of the canons of the chapter of Saint-Denis. Moigno was a man of great industry and throughout his long career was a prolific writer, being distinguished rather as an exponent of science than as an original investigator. He not only wrote a large number of scientific and apologetical works of merit but also translated numerous English and Italian memoirs on science into French. He also edited the "Actualités scientifiques". Among his more important works may be mentioned "Répertoire d'optique moderne" (Paris, 1847-50); "Traité de télégraphie électrique" (Paris, 1849); "Leçons de mécanique analytique" (Paris, 1868); "Saccharimétrie" (Paris, 1869); "Optique moléculaire" (Paris, 1873); "Les splendeurs de la foi" (Paris, 1879-83); "Les livres saints et la science" (Paris, 1884), etc., and numerous articles in the "Comptes Rendus", "Revue Scientifique", "Cosmos", etc.