Jean Lamark was a French botanist and invertebrate zoologist who formulated one of the earliest theories of evolution. In 1768 he wrote a book on his botanical observations, which French naturalist Georges Louis Buffon arranged to publish in 1779 as Flore françois (Plants of France). As a result of the book and his friendship with Buffon, Lamarck was elected to the Academy of Sciences. He became an associate botanist in 1783, but his most significant work was done when he began to work at the Jardin du Roi (King's Garden) in 1788. When the garden was reorganized in 1793, Lamarck's ideas helped to frame the structure of the new Museum of Natural History. While Lamarck's contributions t