About André Bloch (mathematician)
André Bloch (20 November 1893 – 11 October 1948) was a French mathematician who is best remembered for his fundamental contribution to complex analysis. Bloch killed three of his family members, for which he was institutionalized in a mental asylum for 31 years, during which all of his mathematical output was produced. == Early life == André Bloch was born in 1893 to a Jewish family in Besançon, France. He was the eldest son in his family, his younger brother is Georges Bloch and his youngest brother is Henry Bloch. According to one of his teachers, Georges Valiron, both André Bloch and his younger brother Georges Bloch were in the same class in October 1910. Valiron believed Georges to have the better talent, and due to lack of preparation, André finished last in the class. André was spared from failing the class by convincing Ernest Vessiot to give him an oral exam. The exam convinced Vessiot of Andre's talent and both André and Georges entered the École Polytechnique. Both brothers served for a year in the military prior to World War I. Both André and Georges studied for only one year at the École Polytechnique before the outbreak of the war. == World War I == Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, André and Georges Bloch were drafted.
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