Francois Quesnay
François Quesnay (June 4, 1694 - December 16, 1774) was a French economist of the Physiocratic school. He also practised surgery.
Quesnay was born at Merey, near Paris, the son of an advocate and small landed proprietor. Apprenticed at the age of sixteen to a surgeon, he soon went to Paris, studied medicine and surgery there, and, having qualified as a master-surgeon, settled down to practice at Mantes. In 1737 he was appointed perpetual secretary of the academy of surgery founded by Francois la Peyronie, and became surgeon in ordinary to the king. In 1744 he graduated as a doctor of medicine; he became physician in ordinary to the king, and afterwards his first consulting physician, and was installed in the palace of Versailles. His apartments were on the entresol, whence the Reunions de I'entresol received their name. Louis XV esteemed Quesnay much, and used to call him his thinker; when he ennobled him he gave him for arms three flowers of the pansy (pensee), with the motto Propter excogitalionem mentis.
He now devoted himself principally to economic studies, taking no part in the court intrigues which were perpetually going on around him. About the year 1750 he became acquainted with History of Economic Thought
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
