Jean Pierre Mégnin

Jean Pierre Mégnin (18 January 1828 – 30 December 1905) was a French army veterinarian and entomologist. He is best known for his work with dogs and forensic entomology.

Mégnin, born in Herimoncourt (Doubs), went to school at the Ecole d'Alfort from 1849 until his graduation in 1853. In 1855, he became an army veterinarian and was, sometime, Professor of Zoology at the School of Veterinary Medicine in Vincennes. His life spanned three periods of the history of France.

Works

• Maladies de la Peau des Animaux (Animal Skin Diseases, 1867-1882).
• Maladies parasitaires (Diseases caused by Parasites, 1880).
• Faune des Tombeaux (Fauna of the Tombs, 1887). The founding work of modern forensic entomology.
• La faune des cadavres application de l'entomologie à la médecine légale Paris: G. Masson, (1894).

• 14 papers relating to forensic entomology between 1883 and 1896. These were based on 15 years of medico-legal experience with corpses.

Societies

In 1879 Mégnin was elected President of the Société Entomologique de France. He became a member of the French Academy of Medicine in 1893.

The dog breed name Beauceron was used for the first time by Pierre Megnin in his 1888 book on war dogs; previously known as Berger de la Brie for long-coated dogs and Berger de la Beauce for short-coated dogs.

External links

• Digital Faune des Cadavres at Gallica