Jean Brachet, 19 March 1909-10 August 1988

Jean Louis Auguste Brachet was born in the Etterbeck district of Brussels. His father, Albert Brachet, was an experimental embryologist, Professor of Anatomy and Embryology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and ultimately Rector there. In August 1914, when Belgium was invaded, he was working in the marine biology laboratory at Roscoff in Brittany. The family therefore remained in France until the end of the war. Jean went to the Ecole Alsacienne in Paris and to the Athénée Royal d ’lxelles in Brussels. He said that he failed repeatedly in biology examinations because of his dislike for classification. While studying medicine at ULB he said (TV)* that he wondered at times whether he had made the right decision and whether archaeology, chemistry or philosophy would not be more interesting, but he graduated in Medicine with 'la plus grande distinction’.

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