PETIT. 
which he defended Ariftotle againft Defcartes. 4. De 
Lacrymis, Libri tres, 1661, nmo. 5. Exercitationum de 
Ignis et Lucis Natura Defenfio, 1664, 4to. 6. DifTertatio 
tie nova Renati Cartefii Philofophia, 1670, 8vo. 7. Mif- 
cellanearum Obfervationum, Libri quatuor, 1682, 8vo. 
8. De Amazonibus DifTertatio, 1685, nmo. 9, De Sy- 
billa, Libri tres; Lipf. 16S6, 8vo. 10. De Natura et Mo- 
ribus Anthropophagorum; Traj, 1688, 8vo. 11. Homeri 
Nepenthes 5 five, de Helens Medicamento luctum avo- 
lente DifTertatio, ibid. 1689, 8vo. 12, Commentarii in 
tres priores Aretsei Cappadocis Libros, Lond. 1726. 13. 
Traite de la Nourriture qui peut f'e tirer de 1 ’Eau. Eloy 
Did. de la Med. 
PET'IT (Francis), a diftinguifhed phyfician, who is 
better known by this name than by that of Pourfour du 
Petit, was born at Paris on the 24th of June, 16645 and 
loll his parents, who were engaged in trade, during his 
childhood. He is laid to have been flow of apprehenfion, 
and weak in memory, when a boy 5 To that, though he 
laboured much at fchool, his progrefs was extremely flow, 
until his mind was interefted, and his faculties called 
forth, by the philofophy of Defcartes, which his tutor 
put into his hands. That fubjeCl became the leading 
objeft of his purfuits 5 and he began his travels early, 
with the view of increafing his knowledge. At Rochelle 
he became intimate with M. Blondin, who had a valuable 
library, a garden of medicinal plants, and a mufeum of 
natural curiofities, and who infiru&ed him in anatomy, 
and recommended him to ftudy medicine. He adopted 
this counfel, and in 1687 repaired to Montpellier, where 
he graduated, and returned to Paris in 1690. Here he 
ftudied anatomy under du Verney, botany with Tourne- 
fort, and chemiftry with Lemery; and obtained the 
friendfliip of thefe celebrated men. After three years of 
ltudy, and attendance on the hofpital of La Charite, he 
became attached to the army 5 and, in his fuperintendence 
of the hofpitals at Mons, Namur, and Dinant, he ob¬ 
tained confiderable diftimStion, and eftablilhed in them 
diflefting rooms and chemical laboratories, and directed 
the ftudies of the pupils in botany. After the peace of 
Ryfwick, in 1697, he returned to Paris : but the war of 
the Spanifh fucceflion called him again to the military 
hofpitals, and it was not till the peace of Utrecht took 
place, in 1713, that he fettled in Paris. In 172a he was 
eledled a member of the Academy of Sciences ; and three 
years afterwards he was appointed penlionary anatomifl, 
on the fuperannuation of M. du Verney. His reputa¬ 
tion obtained for him this honourable appointment, and 
he was now extenfively employed in the practice of his 
profeflion. He was particularly fuccefsful in the treat¬ 
ment of difeafes of the eye, which he illuftrated by various 
models, and remedied by improving the inftruments and 
operations of his predeceffors, In relation to this delicate 
organ. 
This ingenious man died at Paris on the 18th of June, 
1741, aged 77. He left feveral works behind him, befldes 
the papers which he communicated to theacademy. They 
were written in a negligent ftyle; for the conftant occu¬ 
pation of his time in obfervation and experiment rendered 
him carelefs about the turn of his phrafes. His works 
are; 1. Trois Lettres d’un Medecin des Ilofpitaux du 
Roi a un autre Medecin de fes Amis, fur un Nouveau 
Syfletne du Cerveau ; Namur, 1710, 410. 2. Diflertation 
fur une Nouvelle Methode de faire POperation de la 
Gatarafte; Par. 1727, 12ino. 3. Lettre dans laquelle il eft 
demontre que la Cryilallin eft fort pies de 1 ’Uvee, et oii 
l’on rapporte de nouvelles preuves de POperation de la 
Cataracte; 1729, 4to. 4. Lettres contenant des Reflexions 
Air ce que M. Hecquet, M. D. a fait imprinter touchant 
les Maladies des Yeux, 1729, 4to. 5. Lettres contenant 
des Reflexions fur les Decouvertes faites fur les Yeux, 
173a, 4to. He invented an optlialmometer, to meafure 
exadily all the parts of the eye, and direft the courfe of 
the needle in the operation, and alfo other machines to 
ill u ft rate his doctrines and aflift the operator. Some of 
797 
his eflays, printed in the Mem. de PAcad. des Sciences, 
related to the comparative anatomy of the eye, which he 
examined in various animals with great nicety of diflec¬ 
tion. Gen . Biog. 
PET'IT (John Louis), a celebrated furgeon, was born 
of a refpedtable family at Paris, on the 13th of March, 
1674. From his childhood he difplayed an acutenefs and 
penetration beyond his years, which gained him the at¬ 
tachment of M. de Littre, a celebrated anatomift, who re- 
fided in his father’s houfe. This kindnefs of M. de Lit¬ 
tre, and his own curiofity, fometimes attracted the boy to 
the diflefling-room of the former, where he foon evinced 
an intereft in anatomical purfuits. This able anatomift 
did not fail to cultivate this inclination ; and from the 
age of feven years, his young pupil regularly attended at 
his demonftrations; and made fuch rapid progrefs, that 
he had fcarcely attained the age of twelve, when M. de 
Littre confided to him the fuperintendence of his anato¬ 
mical theatre. He afterwards ftudied furgery under Caf- 
tel and Marefchal, and was admitted mailer at Paris in 
1700. He was born, it has been faid, for the art which 
he praftifed ; and would have created furgery, if it had 
been previoufly unknown. He became the firft prafli- 
tioner, and, as it were, the oracle, of furgery in Paris ; he 
was confulted in all cafes of importance; and there .were 
few operations of difficulty and delicacy which he did not 
fuperintend, or aftually perform; and his hand and his 
counfels were alike fuccefsful. Such a reputation was of 
courfe not limited to his native city, but extended 
throughout Europe. In 1726 he was fent for by the 
king of Poland; and again, in 1734, by Don Ferdinand, 
afterwards king of Spain. He re-eltablilhed the health of 
both thefe princes, who endeavoured to retain him near 
their perfons with the offer of great rewards: but he pre¬ 
ferred his native place to the moll brilliant fituations, 
and found there a fufficient number of perfons who pro¬ 
perly eftimated his merits. He became a member of the 
Academy of Sciences in 1715, and was appointed director 
of the academy of furgery, and cenfor and royal profeflbrat 
the fchool s, He was likewife chofen fellow of the Royal 
Society of London. He died at Paris on the 20th of April* 
1750,aged 76. 
Petit was equally beloved for the qualities of his heart, as 
he was admired for thole of his underftanding; for hisdif- 
pcfxtion was naturally lively and hofpitable, and his man¬ 
ners were indicative of opennefs and warmth of heart, rather 
than the refult of a ftudied politenefs. Fie was extremely 
animated in everything that concerned his profeflion ; 
and an overflight irritated him more than an infult. But 
his anger was of Ihort duration, and he entertained no 
enmities. His benevolence towards the differing poor 
was unbounded, and he fpared no labour or exertions for 
their relief. He communicated many memoirs to the 
Academy of Sciences, and feveral to the Academy of Sur¬ 
gery, which were printed in their firft volume. His only 
feparate publication was, his “Traite des Maladies des 
Os,” printed at Paris in 1705, in urao. and frequently 
reprinted, with additions: an edition, in 1758, in two 
volumes, nmo, was publilhed by M. Ant. Louis, with an 
Hiftorical and Critical EfTay. Flis pupil, M. Lefne, pub¬ 
lilhed his pollhumous works in 1774, with the title of 
“Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales et des Operations 
quileur conviennent,” in three volumes, 8vo. with many 
plates of.furgical inftruments. His Treatife on the Bones 
involved him in feveral controverfies; but the only cha¬ 
grin which he felt arofe from finding Winflow, who, as 
cenfor royal, had approved the work, retract his approba¬ 
tion, in a letter inferred in the Journal des Savans for 
May 1725. Eloy Did. Hijt. 
PET'IT (Anthony), an eminent phyfician, accoucheur, 
and anatomift, was a native of Orleans. He was admit¬ 
ted a doCtor of the faculty of Paris in 1746, and became 
a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1760. He ac¬ 
quired great reputation as a practitioner; and in 1768 
was appointed infpeCtor of the military hofpitals through-* 
3 out.. 
