He first devoted himself to the study of law, but gradually drifted to botany and finally succeeded to his father's chair at the University of Geneva. He published a number of botanical works, including continuations of the Prodromus in collaboration with his son, Anne Casimir Pyrame de Candolle. Among his other contributions is the creation of the first Code of Botanical Nomenclature (adopted by the International Botanical Congress in 1867), being the prototype of the current ICBN. He was awarded the Linnean Medal of the Linnean Society of London in 1889. He is also known for a study of the religious affiliations of foreign members of the French and British Academies of Science during the Scientific Revolution that demonstrated that in both academies Protestants are more heavily represented than Catholics by comparison with catchment populations. This observation continues to be used (for example in David Landes' 1999 _Wealth and Poverty of Nations, cf. revised paperback edition, 177) as a demonstration that Protestants were more inclined to be scientifically active during the Scientific Revolution than Roman Catholics.
References
- Fancher, R E (1983). "Alphonse de Candolle, Francis Galton, and the early history of the nature-nurture controversy". Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences 19 (4): 341-52.
- de Morsier, G (1972). "[Unpublished correspondence between Alphonse de Candolle (1806-1893) and Francis Galton (1822-1911)]". Gesnerus 29 (3): 129-60.
Works
- Candolle, Alphonse de. Lois de la nomenclature botanique adoptées par le Congrès international de botanique tenu à Paris en août 1867... Genève et Bale: H. Georg; Paris: J.-B. Baillière et fils, 1867. 64 p.
External links
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