Réaumur, René-Antoine Ferchault de

Réaumur, René-Antoine Ferchault de

(born Feb. 28, 1683, La Rochelle, France—died Oct. 17, 1757, Saint-Julien-du-Terroux) French physicist and entomologist. He invented the thermometric scale that bears his name (see thermometry); on the Réaumur scale, 0° marks the freezing point of water and 80° marks the boiling point. He invented the opaque white glass known as Réaumur porcelain, improved techniques for making iron and steel, discovered that crayfish can regenerate lost appendages, and isolated gastric juice. His Memoirs Serving as a Natural History of Insects (1734–42), though unfinished, was a milestone in entomological history.