[The chemists at the Paris Royal Academy of Sciences in the time of the Lémerys (1699-1743)].

Who were the chemists at the Paris Royal Academy of Sciences in the time of the Lémerys ? From the nomination of Nicolas Lémery, in 1699, until his death, in 1715, thirteen members of the Academy belonged to the section of Chemistry, and twenty-four until the death of Louis Lémery in 1743. In total, some thirty members made contributions dealing with chemistry, either famous like Réaumur and Buffon, or as obscure as Deschiens de Ressons, who opposed Louis Lémery. On the institutional level, most members of the chemical were promoted up to the coveted seats of senior members (pensionnaires) and several sat among the chief officiers (directeur, sous-directeur). The others were already too old when they entered or died too early : they merely stayed in the low rank of junior fellows (élève, then adjoint), or in the middle rank of associate (associé). A feature of their academic career was the porosity between the sections : a few members made it through the grades of both the section of chemistry and another among those of the “ physical sciences” (anatomy and botany). Many also had other positions, including in education : most of them had chairs or were deputy professors at the Jardin du Roi or the Collège royal, even more than at the Faculty of Medicine. On the sociological level, family recruitment was more important within the group of chemists than among the other members : in Nicolas Lémery’s time, nearly two thirds of them belonged to a sibling or dynasty. They usually had learnt chemistry at Faculty of Medicine or practiced it in their apothecary laboratory. The apothecaries were more numerous than ever : on the fourteen of them who belonged to the Royal Academy between 1666 and 1793, seven sat next to Nicolas Lémery. Nevertheless, a higher consideration was attached to the physicians, and apothecaries such as Lémery himself became medical doctors and started lineages of physicians. Lastly, on the scientific level, there was an important porosity among the research fields : non only members of the “ mathematical sciences” sometime also published on chemistry, but the chemist Du Fay did publish in the six fields related to the six sections of the Academy during his fifteen year career. Inversely, the works of several members of the chemical section were merely devoted to medicine or botany. Lastly, on the scientific level, there was an important porosity among the research fields : non only members of the “ mathematical sciences” sometime also published on chemistry, but the chemist Du Fay did publish in the six fields related to the six sections of the Academy during his fifteen year career. Inversely, the works of several members of the chemical section were merely devoted to medicine or botany.