Who is Marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse from Perfume and what is their importance?

Marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse is a French nobleman, given to developing offbeat scientific theories. He believes that the earth gives off a fatal gas, and that the further one is away from the ground, the healthier they'll be. When the Marquis learns that Grenouille has been living in a cave for seven years, he immediately sets out to test his theory, rehabilitating Grenouille with fresh air and a healthy diet. What the marwuis doesn't know is that Grenouille has created an illusion through scent. Grenouille uses Taillade-Espinasse to gain access to a perfumer's workshop, where he concocts his first mixture of human-smelling perfume.