An appreciation and discussion of Paul Germain’s “The method of virtual power in the mechanics of continuous media, I : Second-gradient theory”

Paul Germain's 1973 article on the method of virtual power in continuum mechanics has had an enormous impact on the modern development of the discipline.In this article we examine the historical context of the ideas it contains and discuss their continuing importance.Our English translation of the French original appears elsewhere in this volume (MEMOCS 8:2 (2020), 153-190).