Jean Pierre Flourens

From Psy3241

Marie Jean Pierre Flourens was born on April 15th1794, at Maureilhan which is located in the southern department of Herault, France. Jean began his study of medicine at the age of fifteen and graduated in 1823 with the title of Doctor. During his tenure at the University of Montpellier, Jean taught a course on the physiological theory of the sensations in which many promonant scholars were interested. Jean Pierre Flourens was highly interested in the localization of the brain and the specific function of those locations.

In 1825, using rabbits and pigions, Florens lesioned specific areas of the animal brain and made scientific observations of the results. He studied the impact of these localized lesions on motor systems and behavior. His research was motivated by the growing study of phrenology by Franz Joseph Gall.

Florens explained, after his experiements, that the cerebral hemisphere were involved in higher cognitive functions and the medula oblongata was in control of vital body functions. Florens found locating the brain areas responsible for memory to be to difficult to complete with his subjects. His theory on memory was that it was spread througout the brain.

Florens is also credited with the discovery of the anestitic effects ofChloroform in animals. Unable to explain why the chemical worked as an anestetic he turned to the scientific community for help on the subject. Florens used chloroform to put his animal subjects to sleep during his surgeries to minimize the pain and suffereing the animals went through. Florens died in Montenegro France in 1867