l[± HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM. 



an uncommon facility of elocution, supported 

 the reputation of the anatomical chair, and was 

 constantly attended by a great number of pupils. 



Geoffroy had been professor of chemistry 

 since 1710; on his death in 1781 , his chair was 

 given to Louis Lemery, who greatly improved the 

 science, by a degree of clearness which it had not 

 before possessed , and extended it beyond the ma- 

 teria medic a, to which it had till then been confined. 



It is to be remarked that the demonstrators 

 and assistants of the professors of chemistry and 

 anatomy , were generally members of the acade- 

 my of sciences. Simon Boulduc, a very distin- 

 guished man , was the first who bore the title 

 of demonstrator, and at his death in 1729 , the 

 place was given to his son Giles-Francis Boulduc. 



Chirac having ended his unprofitable days in 

 1732, his son in law Chicoisneau succeeded him 

 as first physician ; but the administration of the 

 garden was finally separated from that place. 

 The necessity of confiding it to a person exclu- 

 sively devoted to its duties was now felt. The 

 king appointed with the title of intendant Char- 

 les-Francis de Cysternay du Fay, of an ancient fa- 

 mily which, since the fifteenth century, had fol- 

 lowed the profession of arms. Young du Fay had 

 himself served with distinction in the war with 

 Spain , but his leisure hours were consecrated \o 



