Birth of Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie is born at Saint-Malo in Brittany.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Julien Offray de La Mettrie Biography and Timeline
Follow Julien Offray de La Mettrie through 10 dated historical records for France.
Julien Offray de La Mettrie, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
10Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1709–1751Years on this page
1709
1728
Medical Qualification
La Mettrie completes his early medical qualification before pursuing further study in the Netherlands.
1734
Study with Herman Boerhaave
La Mettrie studies medicine at Leiden in the intellectual environment shaped by Herman Boerhaave.
1743
Observations de Medecine Pratique
La Mettrie publishes Observations de Medecine Pratique.
1745
Natural History of the Soul
La Mettrie publishes Natural History of the Soul, developing a materialist account of mental life.
1746
Exile from France
Controversy surrounding his medical satires and materialist philosophy leads La Mettrie to leave France.
1747
Man a Machine
La Mettrie anonymously publishes Man a Machine, presenting his best-known mechanistic materialism.
1748
Man as Plant
La Mettrie publishes Man as Plant after receiving protection at the court of Frederick II.
1750
System of Epicurus
La Mettrie publishes System of Epicurus, connecting his materialism with Epicurean themes.
1751
Death of Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie dies in Berlin.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.