ABSTRACT
Alfred Binet was born in the French town of Nice on July 11, 1857. According to his daughter Madeleine (Avanzini, 1974), Alfred was a bright child who succeeded so well in school that his mother decided to send him away to the capital when he was barely 12 years old, in order that he might study at one of the best schools of the country. Binet is remembered by his daughter as a joyful and agreeable person, who could be timid and very modest. He also knew how to be authoritative and firm, however. In his own words, Alfred Binet was born to work, and he increased his efficiency by maintaining many fruitful, and often inter-disciplinary, professional collaborations. Upon graduation from high school, he completed a law degree in 1877, 1 but then decided to pursue studies in medicine and biology. Under the supervision of Balbiani, who was later to become his father-in-law, he started writing a dissertation on “The sub-intestinal nervous system of insects.” At the same time he wrote plays for the theater. Throughout his career, Binet’s prolific scientific production was complemented with more literary work on famous writers and artists, as well as with the creation of nine plays, written in collaboration with André de Lorde.
