Diorama showing Antoine Lavoisier carrying out an experiment in Paris in 1789

Diorama "The Advance of Physiology" showing Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) carrying out an experiment in Paris in 1789, made by Edward Ashenden for the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, London, 1935-1937

This diorama shows the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794), considered the pioneer of modern chemistry, conducting an experiment on breathing. His assistant, Armand Séguin (1767-1835), is wearing a rubber mask connected to a spirometer to measure the amount of air breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. Lavoisier is taking Séguin’s pulse at the same time. The diorama is based on a sketch by Lavoisier’s wife, Marie-Anne, who can be seen taking notes in the background.