Conception et suites de la Paléontologie française d’Alcide d’Orbigny

The whole formed by his Paleontologie francaise, his Prodrome, and his Cours elementaire, which are closely linked, constitutes one of the major parts of Alcide d’Orbigny’s scientific production, in which he exposed his concept of Palaeontology as a science closely related with Zoology and as an indispensable tool for Stratigraphy. The result was a remarkable impulsion for palaeontological and stratigraphical research, which from that time developed on new scientific foundations. Two annexes complete this communication, the first concerning the ‘Comite de la Paleontologie francaise’ (1860–1893), the second specifying the publication dates of four volumes of the Paleontologie francaise.