LITTRE, le'trA', .MAXIMILIEN PAUL SMILE (1801-SI). A French lexicographer. philosopher. and physician, born in Paris, February 1, 1801. The life of Littre was neither brightened nor marred by dramatic incidents. His history is that of his mind, which was one of the most clear and energetic of the nineteenth century. Littre's capacity for work was prodigious, his interests universal. Having studied at the Lycee Lonis-lc Grand, he became secretary to Count Dana; then he was a student of medicine and an intern. The death of.his father set Littre to teaching modern languages and mathematics. but meanwhile lie was deep in the ancient tongues. including San skrit, and may have studied Oriental languages. He shared in the upheaval of 1830 as a democrat, working with Armand Carrel on the National. In 1839 he joined the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. About the same time he espoused positive philosophy. but his mind sought other paths than Comte's. Auguste Comte (q.v.) lacked Littre's knowledge of biology. Littre was less mathematical than Comte, but Littre would have nothing to do with the mysticism of Comte's old age, and was therefore cast off by that philosopher. In 1871 Littre. who had against his will lived in Bordeaux during the siege of Paris. was made professor of history and geography at the Ecole Polytechnique at Bor deaux. but he lectured only once. December 30. 1871, eight years after his first candidacy. Litre was elected to the chair left empty by Villemain in the Academy. In 1871 Littre was a member of the National Assembly, and in 1875 lie was elect ed life member of the Senate. To medicine Littre contributed Cholera oriental (1832), a transla tion of Hippocrates (1839-61). and. with Robin, a new edition of Nysten's Dictionnaire de mede eine. In this work occurs, his definition of man as "a mammal of the order of primates, of the class with two hands," etc.—a definition which en
raged Dupanloup. Littre's edeeine et medecins ( I872) and his translation of Mfiller's Handbook of Physiology (1846), with his translation of Pliny's Yatural History (1848). are notable. as is the translation of Strauss's Life of Jesus (1839 40) ; hut Littre's greatest work is the Diction naire de la langue franraise (5 vols., 1866-77), which he was encouraged to make by his friend the publisher Hachette (q.v.). Littre was well fitted for his task. His vast learning. his previous experience in lexicography, his lucidity, his patience, and his energy stood him in good stead. Above all. Littre began his Dictionnai•e when Romance philology had already become modern, and he knew how to avail himself of the best. The history of this thesaurus Littre has told in Comment Pal fait eon dictionnaire and in the Preface. Without the dictionary, Littre's deep scholarship would survive potently in his Opyiws organigues de la morale (1570), in his PoeSir homirigne et raneienne po‘'sie frart raw (1847), in his various researches in posi tivism, or in his contributions to the Journal des Savants, and to the Histoire de la France. The personality of is charmingly revealed in his Etudes et alanares (18s0). Ile was simple of heart, high-minded, and even tem pered.
Consult: Sainte-Beuve. :Notice our Littre', sec vie et m.s traraus, in the .V0141'"I it x Landis, vol. v. (Paris, 18(33) ; Dupanloup, .1 rertiss. went arts Tares de famille, a pamphlet. (ib., 18631 ; Caro, rt lc posit irismi itis3) ; Pas teur, Diseours de reception iI l'Aeath'tnie I ran raise Oh., 188:2) ; Itenan, Diseours riponsc eelui de Pasteur (i1)., 1882) ; Sainte-Hilaire, personnels stir Lirtri •+95).