The judgment of the Academy of Sciences from 1795 to 1835: Negative reports as an illustration of scientific (in)correctness

This article aims to characterize scientific activity and its ratification in France at the beginning of the 19th century by using the memoirs rejecte d by the Paris Academy of Sciences between 1795 and 1835. The recurring cri ticisms found in the negative reports allow one to sketch in relief the 'of ficial' view of science at that time: a demand for rigor, topicality, and s oundness. The utility as well as the limitations of the repetition of an ex periment alone are illustrated using the case of the identification of chlo rine in the period 1810-1811.