[Apothecaries and communal saltpeter works: the example of Joachim Proust (1751-1819)]

In 1793, our country was besieged by almost the entire Europ. During the year following December 4, 1793, 6 000 private and communal saltpeter works had produced 16 764 039 lb of saltpeter. They had been demanded by the Committee of Public Safety for supplying the gunpowder factories. Their management was generally given to apothecaries. Joachim Proust, who was the brother of Joseph Louis Proust (definite proportions rule), was appointed to the district of Angers. From 1778 to 1788 he had worked in Paris under Hilaire Marin Rouelle and met the greatest chemists. The district of Angers confronted the civil war of Vendée. Joachim Proust chose to favour professional saltpeter makers. The saltpeter collect, which has reached the smallest villages, has been a significant factor of national unity around the revolutionary ideas.