Historians of science have neglected the French academic Réaumur, whose work is emblematic of a modern conception of science that links technology, science, and society. Réaumur practiced rigorous experimentation on organisms and uncovered industrial and utilitarian secrets, which he communicated to the public. His patronage was instrumental in stimulating the generation of young naturalists of the 1740s who furthered the experimental approach to the study of nature. For Réaumur, his work was inseparable from his mission to reveal and communicate previously restricted knowledge for the benefit of science and society.