Doesn’t the name Rue Michel Merino intrigue you? It hints at a story of family. Perhaps a legacy woven into the very fabric of Marseille.
Rue Michel Merino might not scream history. But let me tell you a tale tangentially linked to a figure whose brother lends his name to this street.
Our story begins with Aimé Bonpland. Born Aimé Jacques Alexandre Goujaud. He adopted the name Bonpland later. His brother Michel-Simon was born in 1770. Bonpland’s life was one of adventure and science.
Aimé Bonpland hailed from a family of doctors. His father Simon-Jacques Goujaud-Bonpland was a physician. He also directed the Hospital de la Charité in La Rochelle. His mother was Marguerite-Olive de la Coste. She was the daughter of a ship captain. Aimé was their fourth child. An older brother named Jaques-Aimé died in infancy. Aimé received his name in remembrance. Michel-Simon and Elisabeth-Olive were his other siblings.
The Goujaud family had a legend. It said their name “Bonpland” came from Aimé’s grandfather. Michel Goujaud was planting vines. He heard of his son Simon’s birth. He exclaimed his son was a “bon-plant” or good seedling. The family used Bonpland as a nickname.
Aimé studied medicine in Paris with his brother. They were taught by famous doctors. Jean-Nicolas Corvisart was one. Pierre-Joseph Desault was another. The brothers developed a love for botany. They were taught by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. Also by René Desfontaines and Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. Jussieu used Bonpland to distinguish Aimé from his older brother Goujaud.
Aimé’s studies were interrupted for war service. He became a surgeon in the Marine-Hospital of Rochefort. He even served on the warship Ajax.
After his exams, Bonpland stayed in Paris. He was chosen to join Nicolas Baudin’s research trip. This is where Alexander von Humboldt enters the picture. Humboldt also planned to join. The trip was delayed. Humboldt met Bonpland. Humboldt said he met a young man with a botanizing drum. That was Bonpland.
Humboldt chose Bonpland as his travel companion. It was a crucial decision. Humboldt wrote “I looked at B(onpland) with whom I should undertake such a long journey. What a marriage.”
Bonpland didn’t keep notes during their travels. We know about their journey through Humboldt’s diaries. Humboldt and Bonpland traveled from Paris to Madrid. They sought a ship. Bonpland helped choose. Humboldt wrote Bonpland found everything very swinish. There was a black sow in the room they wanted to give us.
They divided their work. Humboldt used his instruments. Bonpland collected plants. Their instruments broke on arrival in Marseille. Humboldt wrote B(onpland) lost more courage than I. A walk by the harbor made me forget everything.
In Madrid, Humboldt got a pass for the Spanish colonies. Bonpland was listed as his secretary. As a Frenchman, he could not get his own pass.
Bonpland started a botanical journal in Spain. They numbered plants and animal descriptions. They noted locations. This helped organize the botanical collection later. Humboldt called it “Bonpland’s book.”
In South America, Humboldt wrote he and Bonpland were like fools. In the first three days, we can determine nothing. One always throws away an object to grab another. Bonpland assures me that he will lose his mind if the wonders do not soon cease.
Humboldt was pleased with Bonpland. He called him a worthy student. He praised his energy and fearlessness. Bonpland used magnifying glasses and a microscope to study specimens.
Bonpland’s bravery was noted. During a river trip their boat nearly capsized. Bonpland would have saved them. Luckily, there were no crocodiles nearby.
Bonpland stayed in Bogotá in 1801. He recovered from a fever. He met José Mutis. Mutis was a famous Spanish botanist. Bonpland studied Mutis’ plant collection.
After their journey, Humboldt and Bonpland divided their collection. They gave part to the Jardin des Plantes. Bonpland received a pension from France. He kept his botanical journal. Humboldt’s friend Willdenow got another part of the collection.
Bonpland was to publish the botanical findings. The first volume described notable plants. Bonpland became manager of Malmaison and Navarra castles in 1808. The project stalled. Humboldt enlisted Willdenow’s help. Bonpland had to work with botanists. He needed to define classification traits.
Humboldt invited Bonpland to Berlin in 1807. They switched from formal to informal address. Willdenow died in 1812. Kunth completed the plant descriptions from 1815 to 1825. Bonpland wanted to describe his own findings.
Bonpland’s story is full of twists and turns. It spans continents. Remember Aimé Bonpland as you stroll along Rue Michel Merino. Think of the brother who stayed in France. He enabled Aimé’s adventures.