Hydrogeology

Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck

Lamarck's major claim to scientific fame are his biological works. However they were preceded by a theory of the earth which Lamarck considered in his rigid, logical reasoning as the indispensable foundation for his far-reaching biological concepts. This single contribution to geology is little-known but extremely interesting treatise of 186 pages published in 1802 under the title: Hydrogeologie, Lamarck's sober and original presentation, entirely foreign to the main philosophical trends of the time, had no impact on contemporary scientists. The book fell into oblivion almost immediately as it was printed at Lamarck's expense and in a small edition. This has made it a bibliographical rarity and unknown to geologists or historians of science and it is not mentioned in the majority of books dealing with the history of geology. Only Sir Archibald Geikie fully realized the importance of Lamarck's contribution to the establishment of the fundamental concepts of modern geology - Introduction and preface.