Antoine Lacassagne

Antoine Lacassagne , born with Villerest the August 29th 1884 and died in Paris the December 16th 1971, is a French doctor and biologist.

Biography

It is resulting from a family of doctors. His/her father, Alexandre Lacassagne, was army medical officer and professor of legal medicine to the faculty of Lyon; his/her grandfather Jean Rollet was professor of hygiene to the same faculty.

After having obtained its baccalaureat with Lyon in 1902, it makes studies of medicine. It is allowed with the boarding school in 1908 as preparer at the laboratory of histology. In 1909 Claudius Regaud entrusts to him like subject of thesis the Study of the action of x-rays and the radio activity on the sexual behavior of the lapines . In 1913, it supports its thesis of doctorate in medicine: Studies histological and physiological of the effects produced on the ovary by x-rays . Claudius Regaud then proposes in Lacassagne to become its assistant in Paris, where it has just been named with the direction of the Institut of radium to with dimensions of Marie Curie. In October of this same year, Lacassagne between with the section biology (or Pasteur house) of the Institute of radium, where it is registered during microbiology.

With the declaration of war of 1914, it is mobilized on the face as auxiliary army medical officer. In 1916, it joined the Army of the East. It is affected at the base of Corfou, where an epidemic of Typhus affects the Serb army. In 1917, it takes part in the treatment of the patients of the Spanish influenza.

In 1919, it takes again its activity at the Pasteur laboratory of the Institute of radium to with dimensions of Claudius Regaud, with which it trains a team which develops techniques of treatment of cancers by ionizing radiations. He is sub-manager of the Pasteur house of 1923 to 1937.

In 1932, it shows that the injection of folliculin (estrogen) to mice increases the frequency of cancers mammaires at that Ci. It thus opens the way with a new therapy, the Hormonothérapie. In 1937, it takes the succession of Claudius Regaud to the head of the Institute of the radium, which it directs until in 1954. In 1941, it is named professor with the Collège de France with the pulpit of experimental radiobiology. He is elected member of the Académie of medicine in 1948 and of the Academy of Science in 1949.

Of 1951 to its retirement in 1954, it occupies at the Collège de France the pulpit of experimental medicine where its courses are devoted to the cancerology. After the death of Justin Godard in 1956, it assumes the presidency of the National league against cancer and this until its death on December 16th 1971.

After many prices of the Academy of Science, it receives in 1962 one as of those created by the general meeting of the United Nations “for the whole of its work achieved during a long career of research in the field of cancer and cash of important contributions interesting radiology in connection with cancer, the role of the estrogens in the etiology of the tumors mammaires and that of hydrocarbons in carcinogenesis. ”

Promotion 2000 of the School of the department of health of the Armies of Lyon-Bron (school of training of the army medical officers) bears the name of his/her father Alexandre Lacassagne.

Random links: