Pierre Borel

Pierre Borel (Latin: Petrus Borellius; c. 1620 – 1671) was a French savant: a chemist (and reputed alchemist), physician, and botanist.

Borel was born in Castres. He became a doctor of medicine at the University of Montpellier in 1640. In 1654 he became physician to the King of France, Louis XIV.

In 1663 he married Esther de Bonnafous. In 1674 he became a member of the Académie française. He died in Paris.

He concerned himself with an eclectic range of subjects: optics, ancient history, philology and bibliography. His biographers have tended to deplore his spreading of himself over so many areas.

In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, H. P. Lovecraft (mis)represents Borellus (sic) as a potent necromancer. In fact, the novels opens with a quote from Borellus.

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