Louis Édouard Gourdan de Fromentel (29 August 1824, Champlitte – 6 April 1901, Bouhans-et-Feurg) was a French physician and paleontologist known for his study of fossil coral polyps and sponges.
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He studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg, then relocated to Paris, where he served as an intern at Val-de-Grâce. In 1849 he obtained his medical doctorate, and during the following year, settled in the town of Gray (Haute-Saône). As a physician he dealt with epidemics such as typhoid and worked as a prison doctor. For a period of time he served as vice-president of the Conseil d'hygiène.[1][2]
Published works
He made important contributions as editor to the Paléontologie française. a multi-volume series on paleontology that was begun by Alcide d'Orbigny in 1840.[3] Other significant writings by Fromentel include:
- Introduction à l'étude des éponges fossiles, 1860 – Introduction to the study of fossil sponges.
- Monographie des Polypiers Jurassiques supérieurs (É́tages Portlandien et Kimmeridgien), 1864 – Monograph of Upper Jurassic polyps; Portlandian and Kimmeridgian stages.
- Polypiers coralliens des environs de Gray, 1865 – Coral polyps found in the environs of Gray.
- Terrain Jurassiques : Zoophytes, 1866 (with Henry Testot-Ferry) – Jurassic strata: zoophytes; part of series: Paleontologie francaise ou description des animaux invertebrés fossiles de la France.
- Recherches sur la revivification des rotifères, des anguillules et des tardigrades – Research on the revivification of rotifers, eelworms and tardigrades.
- Description géologique et paléontologique de la colline de Lémenc-sur-Chambéry, 1875 (with Louis Pillet) – Geological and paleontological description of the hills of Lémenc-sur-Chambéry.
- Etudes sur les microzoaires, 1876 – Studies on microorganisms.[4]