Blind ambition: Geoffroy St-Hilaire's theory of everything

When Napoléon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798, he took with him a group of savants to study the natural history, architecture, ancient history and society of Egypt. One young naturalist, Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, went along and made his mark in the study of living and mummified animals, setting the course for his future successes and fame when he returned to Paris in 1801. But during his time in Egypt, when he was free to roam physically and intellectually, he formulated a radical, all-encompassing theory, which he claimed could explain all natural forces and processes in the world.