| Charles Marie De La Condamine |
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| 1701 births | |
| la condamine, charles-marie de | |
| 1774 deaths | |
| french mathematicians | |
| la condamine, charles marie de | |
| members of the académie française | |
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Charles Marie de La Condamine ( January 28 , 1701 - February 4 , 1774 ) was a French Geographer and Mathematician . La Condamine was born in Paris . He was trained for the military profession, but turned his attention to science and geographical exploration. After taking part in a scientific expedition in the Levant (1731), he became a member with Louis Godin and Pierre Bouguer of the expedition sent to Peru in 1735 to determine the length of a degree of the Meridian in the neighbourhood of the Equator . His associations with his principals were unhappy; the expedition was beset by many difficulties, and finally La Condamine separated from the rest and made his way from Quito down the Amazon , ultimately reaching Cayenne . His was the first scientific exploration of the Amazon. He returned to Paris in 1744 and published the results of his measurements and travels with a map of the Amazon in ''Mém. de l'Académie des Sciences'', 1745 (English translation 1745-1747). This included the first descriptions by a European of the Casiquiare Canal and the Curare arrow poison prepared by the Amerindian s. On a visit to Rome La Condamine made careful measurements of the ancient buildings with a view to a precise determination of the length of the Roman Foot . The journal of his voyage to South America was published in Paris in 1751. He also wrote in favour of Inoculation , and on various other subjects, mainly connected with his work in South America. He died in Paris. EXTERNAL LINK REFERENCES
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