居维叶(1769～1832年)

Cuvier, Georges (-Léopold-Chrétien-Frédéric-Dagobert)

受封为Baron Cuvier

居维叶，法国动物学家、政治家，建立了比较解剖学和古生物学。任职於巴黎自然历史博物馆。在他出版的《按结构分类的动物界》（1917）中，陈述了他的「器官相伴」（correlation of parts）理论，认为动物每个器官的解剖构造，与其自身其他器官在功能上是互相联系的，而各器官的功能与构造上的特点，则是与环境交互影响的结果。他根据各种动物的解剖特徵，把动物分成四大类（脊椎动物、软体动物、节肢动物和辐射动物），是对林奈分类系统的一大改进。他把自己的学说应用於化石研究，认为陆地隆起、洪水泛滥等巨变，是物种生成和毁灭的主要因素。虽然他的灾变说後来无人相信，但他在坚实的经验基础上建立了古生物学。他曾担任拿破仑的公共教育督察员，协助筹建法国的省立大学，他也是巴黎大学的荣誉校长。

English version：

1769～1832年

Cuvier, Georges (-Léopold-Chrétien-Frédéric-Dagobert)

French zoologist and statesman who established the sciences of comparative anatomy and paleontology. As a staff member at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, he published Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation (1817; “The Animal Kingdom, Distributed According to Its Organization”) that described his “correlation of parts” theory, in which every animal organ is functionally related to all its other organs and that an animal's functions and habits determine its anatomic form. Cuvier's classification of all animals into four completely discrete groups was a significant advance over the system of Carolus Linnaeus. He applied his functional concept to the study of fossils, postulating that huge land upheavals and floods were the principal factor in the creation and destruction of species. Though the theory did not last, Cuvier's work put paleontology on a firm empirical foundation. As Napoleon's inspector of public instruction, he helped establish France's provincial universities, and he also served as chancellor of the University of Paris.