Lamarck
was a French naturalist. He studied under the Jesuits
at Amiens but joined the army at age 17. After such
service he took up study of medicine working at the
same time in a banker's office.
He published Flora francaise (1778). This
included a key which would enable one to determine a
species of a plant.
Later he traveled extensively in Europe and
published Dictionnaire de Botanique (1783).
Finally he held a botanical appointment in the Jardin
de Roi. In 1793 he took over a zoological chair and
concerned himself thereafter with zoology and
published zoological works. He developed his
well-known theory of the inheritance of acquired
characters (1803-1804).
