Generalising the 'Tableau economique'; Isnard's 'Systeme des richesses'

This article examines Achylle-Nicolas Isnard's critique of Francois Quesnay's 'Tableau Economique,' in order to illustrate the novelty and greatness of Quesnay's work. Isnard's employment of Quesnay's views of circularity and his emphasis on productivity in all sectors of the economy are discussed and the author provides a mathematical presentation to show that Isnard's work is relevant to the interpretation of circular-flow type models, including input-output models.