Jean Edmond Cyrus Rostand (30 October 1894 – 4 September 1977) was a Frenchbiologist, historian of science, andphilosopher.
Active as an experimental biologist, Rostand became famous for his work as ascience writer, as well as aphilosopher and an activist.His scientific work covered a variety of biological fields such asamphibianembryology,parthenogenesis andteratogeny, while his literary output extended into popular science,history of science and philosophy.His work in the area ofcryogenics gave the idea ofcryonics toRobert Ettinger.[1]He took an interest in ethics and morality in biology and wrote against pseudoscience, the use of science for war, wrote against racism and supported human equality and freedom.[2]
Rostand's biological research began with work on paedogenesis in flies, studies on silkworms and dragonflies before beginning to work on embryology in frogs.In 1910 he was able to induce parthenogenesis in the eggs ofRana temporaria.He then examinedpolydactyly and its induction by chemical agents in frogs and studied the preservation of sperm vitality using glycerine.He also examined the determination of sex in frogs.For his work in biology he received the Henry de Parville Prize in 1934 and the Binoux Prize in 1941.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Rostand was elected to theAcadémie française in 1959.[3]
Rostand took a special interest in the history of science and especially stressed the slow process by which scientific facts were determined and how they emerged from the interactions of numerous people and highlighted the need for modesty, especially because of the fallibility of individual workers. For his work in the popularization of science he received aKalinga Prize in 1959.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Rostand is famous for the quotation: "Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a God" fromThoughts of a Biologist, 1938.
In the preface of the 1959 Italian edition of hisArtificial man, Rostand foresaw artificialoviparity, gender mutation, virgin births,[10] as well asDNA modifications before and after the birth.
Rostand was active in several causes, in particular againstnuclear proliferation and thedeath penalty.Anagnostic, he demonstrated humanist convictions.He wrote several books on the question ofeugenism and the responsibilities of mankind regarding its own fate and its place in nature.[citation needed]
Rostand married a cousin Andrée Mante in 1920 and they had a son François who became a mathematician.After 1922, he set up a laboratory in his home at Ville d’Avray and began to conduct most of his research there, free of institutional demands.He would meet people from a wide range of interests at his home on Sundays.He died following prolonged ill-health at home.[11]
^Romeo, Francesco (September 9, 2015)."Sulla chiusura della rivista I-Lex"(pdf).I-Lex (in Italian) (22). University of Naples Federico II: 2.Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
