The bust that once adorned it, however, was not returned after the restoration: owing to a long-standing mistake, it was actually that of the physician François Chaussier (1746–1828), whose tomb is nearby. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Fourier, the tenacity of their president, Tadeusz Sliwa, and Alain Juhel's archival research, a copy of the original bust was produced by François Gilles.
On 17 May this year, the anniversary of Joseph Fourier's death, Fourier enthusiasts, joined by Étienne Ghys and Patrick Flandrin representing the Académie des Sciences, unveiled the new bust installed in the niche of his tomb. The occasion offered an opportunity to revisit the visionary treatise Remarques générales sur les températures du globe terrestre et des espaces planétaires, published 200 years ago: in it, Fourier studies the temperature of the Earth, explains its fluctuations in terms of various physical parameters, and even considers the possible effects of human industry!
