Jean Senebier

Jean Senebier ( born May 6, 1742 in Geneva, † July 22, 1809 ) was a Reformed pastor, naturalist and bibliographer from Switzerland. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Seneb. ".

Life

Senebier studied theology and became a priest in his native city in 1765. 1769 he took a pastorate in Chancy and 1773 chief librarian of the city of Geneva. The revolution in Geneva prompted him to retire in the canton of Vaud, in 1799 he returned back to Geneva.

Senebier established his reputation as a naturalist by the classic essay On scientific observations ( 1769), in the 3rd edition as Essai sur l'art d' observer et de faire of expériences ( Geneva 1802, 3 vols ) appeared. Then he dealt mainly with plant physiology and pioneered here a significant advance on by emphasizing the principle that the nutritive processes would have to be judged according to the general laws of chemistry.

Works

• Mémoires physico- chimiques sur l' influence de la lumière solaire pour modifier les trois êtres of règnes de la nature, Geneva 1782, 3 vols
• Rapport de l'air avec les atmosphérique êtres organisés, Geneva 1807, 3 vols
• Physiology végétale, Geneva 1782-88, 5 vols
• Météorologie pratique, Geneva 1810

For the Encyclopédie edited méthodique Senebier plant physiology. He also wrote a Histoire littéraire de Genève ( Geneva 1786, 3 vols ) and translated several works by Lazzaro Spallanzani.