HIGH SCHOOL & FACULTY OF SCIENCES
Years pass quickly. As soon as he is 10 years, Louis Camille becomes a boarder at his turn; his studies are brilliant : bachelor litterature & philosophie at 16 years (on July 23, 1894). We find his trace at the Poincaré College in Nancy in the 3 registers * at the end of 1894.
He is the boarder n°116 , and becomes the day-scholar n° 21
He attends the young Faculty of Science of Nancy, created by decree on August 22d, 1854. Holder of the Certificate of physical studies on November 7, 1896, he succeeds at passing the licence of sciences when he is 19 years, in July 1897. On this occasion he becomes the very young Prize winner of the Faculty of Science of Nancy, Chimie, silver medal . Louis Camille says that it is Senior BICHAT him self who initiated him to experimental physics, what a reference !
In the list of the pupils, appear all the prestigious names which will make the reputation of the "Ecole de Nancy", later. You can fancy that he was friend with Majorelle, Daum, Gallé and some others. His studies about orchids show they all have a common passion for the plants. He writes his first scientific paper: influence of limestone on plants, published by the "Bulletin de la Société des Sciences". His brilliant successes at examinations show the precocity of Louis Camille. The scientific publication proves how serious he was and brings him credibility . A licence of zoology obtained in 1899 completes his basic formation and shows us his great thirst of knowledge and his capacity of working hard.
He spends his holidays with the family of his mother at Atton and Martincourt. He observes with attention the flora and fauna. He is still very young when local people prove us they respect and appreciate him. Louis Camille himself tells us that the peasants themselves used to bring him frogs and fish to study them when he was only 15 years old.
These youthful observations will mark his first publications. A Note about pond loaches at Atton is published by l'Académie des Sciences in 1900. Another note about the presence of vanillin in the Lorraine orchids is published the following year
*AD54 livre des entrées 1T 3907 tome a; compte des élèves 1T 3729, page 117; inscription in elementary mathematics 1T 3921 volume B
Please excuse us for the bad quality of this automatic translation which is being corrected for better comprehension
Louis Camille MAILLARD
born on February 4, 1878 -- in Pont à Mousson
Graduate of secondary education (Letters - Philosophy)
FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF NANCY
Certificate of physical, chemical and natural studies
Bachelor of science Physics
Price RITTER, November 1899
Science degree natural 1899
Chief of work of chemistry
Thesis
July 17, 1903
mention very well with special praise of the jury
FACULTY OF MEDICINE of PARIS
Chief of work of chemistry
Aggregation in 1904
Science doctor in 1913
Holder of the biological Pulpit of Chemistry
Booklet I - - 1era year - - January 1900
In its meeting of January 15, the Company of Sciences took under its patronage the biological Meeting, founded association 4 years ago by a group of people and directed for this time by FASCINATING Mr..
The biological Meeting was founded to allow the people being interested in biological science (in the vastest meaning of the word) to discuss the things of biology: largely opened with all those which, various titles and in an unspecified situation, are occupied of biology, either to teach it, or to learn it, or in end to cultivate it. This association, at the same time will intra and extra academic, giving a place to the students beside the professors, is very particular, is other thing that a Company. It functioned up to now without office, without another president that a Chairman; Mr. Taking there fulfilled the functions of secretary-general.
The biological Meeting proposes various goals*. It is initially, a university organization of concentration, an occasion of bringing together between the professors and the students. In the second place, it is an organization of initiative and scientific impulse for the young people, preparers, internal, student, who come there to expose what they saw and thought, and to which it gives the opportunity to make personal science. By the general talks of the biological questions which are made there, it still fulfills another goal: it makes known the great questions and the subjects of topicality to those which do not have time to get information by themselves. By its demonstrations, its lessons of things, it informs its members of what is done, of curious and good; it thus gives a material and objective review work of the various biological Institutes in Nancy.
The biological Meeting originally took place once per month, in a Conference or a Dinner. For two years, the Dinner has been given up, and the Conference is remained only. It took a greater development besides. The meetings took place consequently twice per month. The number of the regularly registered members is 105, without counting the voluntary listeners; because the Meeting always largely opened its doors with all. The number of communications made with the Meeting amounts to date to 110 (in 4 years). I.e. that the activity of the Meeting was considerable.
The communications related to all the branches of biological science: biology itself, botanical, bacteriology, zoology, paleontology, anthropology, anatomy and teratology, histology and embryology, pathological anatomy, biological physiology, physics and chemistry, physiological psychology, medicine, surgery. Among these communications, the ones were true general talks, developments of an important question; others of the original communications on particular points; others finally of simple presentation and demonstration of parts. The reports of the meetings were regularly published in the anatomical Bibliography, which also inserted analyses of anatomical communication of order. Communications of another kind, medical, zoological, were summarized by the medical Review of the East. Several were addressed to the Company biology of Paris.
To note the very many interventions of professors de Louis Camille (especially FASCINATING, BOUIN and GARNIER) within the Meeting. In this intimist medium, the Masters even transform themselves into friends as confidants. Mr ROHMER, ophthalmologic senior registrar, professor and cousin of Louis Camille, multiplies into 1900 the communications on the pathogenesis of myopia, undoubtedly ensuring Louis Camille the care and the corrections most pointed of the time.
* With regard to Louis Camille, all these goals largely appear to me reached
Notice of the proceedings - - Series 3 - - Volume 1 - - Booklet V - - 1era year - - June - July 1900
by Mr Louis MAILLARD
The fish presented is the loach of pond (Cobitis fossilis) pertaining to the kind abundantly represented in the rivers of the area by the small species Cobitis barbatula and Cobitis taenia, well-known of the fishermen under the name of moutoilles. With the reverse of these last species, the loach of pond is rare in France: one announced it until now only in Gard, some small ponds of the surroundings of Lille and finally close to Toul. It is distinguished from the other loaches by its more considerable size; three or four of the individuals introduced at the alive state are beautiful samples which reach 20 to 25 centimetres length; they are accompanied by about thirty small individuals approximately 12 to 15 centimetres. Cobitis fossilis has in all ten barbillons, including six large with the upper lip and four small with the lower lip, which gives him a characteristic aspect and differentiates it from its congeneric which does not have that six barbillons.
The introduced individuals come from the territory of Atton, close Bridge-with-Monsoon, where an old arm of the Moselle left like vestiges a chain of small dead not very deep and of which some are desiccated completely in summer. It is thanks to the dryness of at the end of May that the loaches could be captured by the owner of died, Mr. Saffroy, who agreed to send them to me. Seven years ago * already that I had had between the hands of the specimens of Cobitis fossilis, thanks to the kindness of the owner, who takes some for a very long time in his dead. * NDLA Maillard was old then hardly 15 years
Cobitis fossilis is endowed with intestinal breathing: it is enough to observe it in a basin to see it going up from time to time on the surface and swallowing the air which it then comes to reject on the surface by its anal opening. Perhaps this intestinal breathing is it in relation to the property which has the fish to remain alive for the periods of dryness, inserted in the wet mud from where it arises when the pond filled with water. It is true that in Atton the dead ones desiccated could be resown at the time of the overflows of the winter by loaches come from the major parts which are not desiccated, but the fact of the conservation of Cobitis fossilis was observed elsewhere.
It is possible that some research would make known the existence of Cobitis fossilis in much of the ponds spread out in the valley of the Moselle.
On the presence of vanillin at an indigenous Orchis, Epipactis atrorubens Hoff.
by Louis MAILLARD, chief of chemical work to the Faculty of Medicine of Nancy.
Communication of December 5, 1901.
Among the various odorous Orchises of our countries, it is one, Epipactis atrorubens Hoff., whose open flowers exhale a very honest vanilla perfume, strong enough perfume for odoriser the atmosphere itself of the wood where grows the plant, and to draw the attention of the chemist.
If one thinks that vanilla is precisely provided by certain species of exotic Orchises, nothing is more natural than to think than one can find his odorous principle at other plants of the same family, and to allot to vanillin the perfume ofEpipactis atrorubens. But such inductions, founded on simple analogies and the common existence of only one organoleptic nature, do not have anything scientist and could bring only vexations to those which would be let involve by them.
I thus sought in the literature if some author already had isolated and characterized the odorous principle of the flowers ofEpipactis atrorubens, I did not find anything, either that my research had been insufficient, or that the fact in question had not been announced yet.
It is however very simple to extract vanillin fromEpipactis atrorubens. If the flowers, detached of the pole, are put to macerate during a few moments in ether, the solvent takes light dyed Madeira, evaporated in a capsule, it lets initially deposit on the edges a ring of a brownish resinous matter and poisonous odor, and one finds in the center of the capsule, after finished evaporation, of fine white crystalline needles, with very clear vanillin odor, and on which one can directly carry out the reactions of this compound.
But I regarded this data only as one simple indication, and I employed for the extraction a process which, while providing a product free from any stain, was already by itself characteristic of the chemical function of the made up one: I named the well known process of extraction of aromatic aldehydes by sodium bisulfite.
CHO.1
Vanillin: C6.3 O.CH33, being as one know it, a methyl ether of aldehyde protocatechic,
OH.4
and still containing a free function phenol, behaves at the same time like aldehyde and phenol. It is its aldehyde character which makes it possible to extract it by bisulfite from sodium. The ether of maceration of the flowers of Epipactis atrorubens , agitated with an aqueous bisulfite solution in a dropping funnel, retains all the brown resinous matter, and lets pass vanillin, in bisulfite combination, in the aqueous layer. This one, elutriated, is added with a sulphuric excess of acid extended to 1/5, which breaks up the bisulfite combination and regenerates vanillin; the liquid is agitated with ether, which, elutriated and evaporated, gives up the pure vanillin crystallized in small white needles. The body is slightly water soluble, very soluble in alcohol and ether.
The function aldehyde was characterized, in addition to the faculty of combination to bisulfite, by its reducing properties (reduction of the solutions cuproalcalines, of ammoniacal silver nitrate).
The function phenol is revealed by greenish colouring blue of the aqueous solution with ferric chloride[ 1 ]; by red colouring with the reagent of MILLON.
I obtained moreover, with greatest clearness, various other reactions of colouring (orange colouring of the crystals by the sulphuric acid, intense red colouring with phloroglucin and the hydrochloric acid, etc), reactions which present by themselves only one restricted value, but which, occurring on the studied body, exactly in the same way that on an artificial vanillin representative sample (proceeded of LAIRE to isoeugenol), less excellent confirmations of the preceding ones do not constitute any.
The flowers ofEpipactis atrorubens thus contain a aldéhydephénol, solid, white, crystallized, with very honest vanillin odor, giving all the coloured reactions of vanillin: I believe myself authorized in saying that they contain vanillin well. The very tiny quantity of flowers on which I operated did not enable me to determine the constant physiques of the product (point melting, molecular weight, etc), either that its centesimal composition; although these checks are always very useful and often necessary, their absence seems to me here without disadvantage, because the interpretation of the results could give place in the species to no dispute.
The opened out flowers ofEpipactis atrorubens Hoff thus contain vanillin. The fact in itself does not have anything interesting good. In addition to the pods of the producing vanilla Orchises, one announced vanillin in a crowd of vegetable objects, and until in the bark of the potato tubers. If moreover one wants to think well of this fact that
CH2OH.1
Alcohol conifenylic C6H3 O.CH33, aromatic alcohol whose vanillin is the aldehyde,
OH.4
and directly providing vanillin by a simple oxidation, is very widespread in the vegetable world in the form of its glucoside the coniférine, one will conceive that chemical handling relating to crop products can reveal it frequently.
Vanillin thus does not have anything rare, and if I believed to have to announce to the Company his presence in the flowers ofEpipactis atrorubens, it is not for the vain pleasure of enriching the cluster too already encumbered our analytical documents, but well for general biological considerations of an order much more raised, which directly relate to the major problems of specificity.
If it can be of some interest to note the presence of the same rather characteristic product, vanillin, at two kinds of the same family, Epipactis and Vanilla, it is much more significant to find species very close being distinguished between them by the presence or the absence to this same product. All the herborizing botanists knowEpipactis latifolia All., which also grows in wood limestones of our countries. From port a little more raised, from appearance a little less spindly thanEpipactis atrorubens, it is characterized some however only by greener colouring from its perianth and by unimportant morphological characters; so that certain flora still giveEpipactis atrorubens like a simple variety of its congenericEpipactis latifolia, and than one can hesitate justifiably before regarding them as two organizations of distinct species.
However, I was struck following fact: all the samples ofEpipactis atrorubens which I could meet during last season had a very recognizable vanilla odor. No foot ofEpipactis latifolia had it, and of the flowers of this species, exhausted by ether, did not give me vanillin trace. Unfortunately I did not have the leisure, in July of this year, to develop these statistics as much as it had been desirable. I would not like to thus risk me to consider as of now the chemical distinction of the two species established definitively and without any reserve; I believe it very just nevertheless. I held to carry it as of this year to the knowledge of the Lorraine botanists, in order to be able to call upon their contest at the time of their excursions of the next summer. To be fixed on this subject, it is enough to feel the odor of Epipactis, since the chemical study showed that the vanilla odor ofEpipactis atrorubens is quite due to vanillin, and to make sure that one does not findEpipactis latifolia odorous nor ofEpipactis atrorubens without perfume. It can happen very well that one meets, as well as remarked Mr. professor VUILLEMIN, of the intermediate forms between the two species and than one is very embarrassed to pay to the one rather than with the other. It would be particularly interesting to examine from the point of view of vanillin these forms, which could be hybrids well, and to see whether hybridization would have transmitted to the kid a biochemical character of the one of the parents, the production of vanillin.
It is not the first time besides one makes call successfully, for the determination of the species, with chemical characters which, representing the special mode of physiological activity of the plant, constitute differently serious data of classification that the length of one bractée or the colouring of a perianth. Without speaking about the many services which this method rendered to microbiology, Phanérogames themselves already profited from it. Let us point out only here the example of the coffee of Large-Comore, Coffea Humblotiana Baillon, being characterized only by so tiny morphological characters, that certain authors did not hesitate to make of it a simple local variety of Coffea arabica L. However G BERTRAND[ 2 ] showed, at the beginning of this year, that the seeds of Coffea Humblotiana Baillon do not contain cafeine trace, whereas those which come from the plans of Coffea arabica L introduced into the same stations and cultivated coast at coast, contain some like usually from 1 to 1,5%.
The question of the stations where grows a plant, geological ground which supports it and of the climateric influences to which it is subjected, indeed has an importance of first order relative to the special chemicals which it can provide. When one transports in the plain the digital one of the Vosgean slopes, it is not long in losing the major part of its characteristic glucosides, and becomes unusable into therapeutic; it is with shelves of this kind that always the culture of the medicinal plants ran up. An objection could thus be posed about Epipactis : couldn't the announced chemical distinction hold with a difference in station and represent a simple local variation? First of all, it is not very probable that the transplantation of a plant, while varying considerably its in theory active output, can go as far as making entirely disappear a usual principle or give birth to a new principle. Then the two species in question of the Epipactis kind meet on all the plates bajocians and bathoniens of the surroundings of Nancy, where the conditions of vegetation appear the same ones appreciably; finally it sometimes happens to meet the two plants in so nearby places, which one can regard them as only one and even station. Thus it would not know to be question, I believe, of an interpretation of this kind.
I could not occupy me this year to seek how vanillin in Epipactisatrorubens is formed, which is the substance even from which it derives directly and who precedes it in the physiological evolution by the plant; I think of making it if my leisures of the next summer allow it to me. For this question as, there is another thing as a vain curiosity; it is a question of establishing of which kind can be the chemical phenomenon which differentiates two so close species.
There is nothing impossible so that the two plants also contain a generating substance of vanillin, a glucoside perhaps, without at one of them (E latifolia) the evolution being able to continue to vanillin itself, owing to lack of an enzyme presents on the contrary inEpipactis atrorubens.
See two species close to be different between them by the presence or the absence to an enzyme, would be in any case in conformity with the current data of biology, than if it were necessary to relatively seek the true distinction in a as simple body as vanillin. The phenomena of immunity learned how to us to think that not only the species, but the individuals themselves can be different by specific and very active substances, but that these substances are probably much closer to the enzymes than of aromatic aldehydes, and much more complicated than those.
And if this plausible assumption of a distinction of the close species by the specific enzymes had been suddenly carried out, it would remain to seek what becomes this chemical specificity in hybridization, and in that it measures such enzymes would be transmitted of the parents to the product.
The only observation of a detail, seemingly unimportant, like the light perfume of a flower, can thus be rich lesson and give place to extremely important considerations, if one seeks to interpret it with all the width of sights that it is appropriate.
[ 1 ] At the time of its communication on titanium in 1936, LC Maillard will repara capacity of the ferric precipitates to fix the substances even most negligible
[ 2 ] G BERTRAND: "On the chemical composition of the coffee of Large-Comore" Bull. Ploughshare chim. Paris 3°s, t.25, p. 379