Pickstone J V
Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
Int J Microcirc Clin Exp. 1994 Jan-Apr;14(1-2):77-82. doi: 10.1159/000178212.
RJH Dutrochet (1776-1847) may be remembered for his discovery of osmosis in 1826. This essay explores the meanings of that discovery within the science of the early nineteenth century, including contemporary ideas on plant and animal microstructure and on physical explanations for the phenomena of life. Dutrochet is revealed as a 'romantic' exponent of 'organic physics'.