RICHARD, Louis Francois (re-shar), West Indian physician, born in the island of St. Martin in 1757; died in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1806. He studied in New Orleans, and was for many years a marine surgeon. In 1799 he became president of the board of health of French Guiana, and performed remarkable experiments on yellow fever, even sleeping in beds of persons that were affected with the disease, and inoculating himself with their virus. In 1803 he was sent to Louisiana to study the effects of yellow fever; but he was attacked by the disease and died in New Orleans. His works, which were published by the Paris academy of medicine, include " Recherches generales sur les blessures causdes par les fleches empoisonnees usdes par les Indiens" (Paris, 1803)'" Traite des simples et des poisons des Indiens" (1805); "Monographie de la fievre jaune" (1806); and "De la contagion de la fievre jaune" (1807), in which the author defends the theory that yellow fever is not contagious.