Casimir Davaine

Casimir Davaine , born with Saint-Amand-the-Water (Northern), the March 19th 1812 - deceased with Garches (Hauts-de-Seine), the October 14th 1882.

Doctor French known mainly for its work on the coal, transmissible animal disease with the man (Zoonose).
Owing to the fact that it is one of the first studied and to specify the etiology of the coal, it can be regarded for this reason as one of the founders of the Bactériologie and the Microbiologie. With him, the idea of the pathogenic role of the bacteria returns gradually in médecine.
The great merit of Davaine is to have shown, among the first, that an animal and human disease was due to a Microbe in fact a Bactérie, anticipating and thus opening the way in the searches of medical Microbiologie.

Biography.

Born with Saint-Amand-the-Water, Casimir Davaine is the sixth child (on nine) of a spirit tradesman.

He begins his studies with Saint-Amand-the-Water, continuous with Tournai (in Belgium) and with Lille.

In 1830, it is registered with the Faculty of Médecine of Paris.

In 1835, it becomes external of Pierre Rayer at the Hospital of the Charity where it meets Claude Bernard, with which it binds friendship.

In 1837, it obtains its title of Médecin and settles in Provence to exert its trade, while being devoted to its research.

In 1848, he is founding member of the Company of Biology.

In 1850, it observes with Pierre Rayer “small thread-like bodies” in the blood of animals reached by the coal. The anteriority of this discovery however was asserted by the German doctor Aloys Pollender, which had identified the carbonaceous bacillus also perfectly to him describes by him like “corpuscles in the shape of sticks” ( Stabförmiger Körperchen ), but which did not publish that in 1855 its observations made in 1849.

From 1863, it makes research on the coal and the septicaemia of the cattle which will be worth its election in to him 1868 with the Académie of Medicine.

In 1866, it spends some time to Saint-Julien-in-Beaujolais wine (the Rhone) near Claude Bernard suffering and benefits from this short stay in the countryside to study the fruit moulds.

In January 1869, it marries Maria Georgina Forbes with whom it had had a son in 1845.

During the Franco-German War of 1870, he exerts his trade of Médecin of ambulances within the French troops and prepares a book on his Philosophie of happiness and the life.

In 1871, it publishes this book on its philosophy of happiness and the life, “the elements of the happiness”, written during this Franco-German Guerre of 1870.

After this war, it is made build a house with Garches, close to Paris and is impassioned for the Jardinage, far from the tumults of the life.

From 1875, its health is reduced and it publishes little. Because of its health, it cannot attend the last moments of Claude Bernard whereas he is his doctor and friend.

He dies in 1882 with Garches, taken care by his wife, his son Jules and his Alphonse nephew.

Its house was bequeathed in 1891 by its widow to the Public assistance to create there a center of convalescence for girls between 4 and 12 years, without reference to religion. Its house is today a foundation, the Davaine Foundation.

It is buried with the Cimetière of the Father-Lachaise to Paris with his wife and her son.

He was also the attending physician of the lady to the camellias, Mrs. Alphonsine Plessis more known under the name of Marie Duplessis., of his friend Claude Bernard, of his Master Pierre Rayer and of large financial of the time the such Rothschild and Eichthal.

Titles and distinctions

- Founding member of the company of Biology (1848)
- Price of experimental Physiology of the Institute (1854) for its research on the generation of the Oyster S
- Price of experimental Physiology (1856) for its research on the Nematode (Anguillule of the corn niello) responsible for the disease of corn known under the name of Niello
- Holder of the Cross of the legion of honor (1858)
- Price of Medicine and surgery of the Institute (1860) for its Treaty of the entozoaires
- Price Bréant (1865) for its research on coal
- Member of the Academy of medicine since 1868
- Behague Price of the National company of agriculture of France (1879)
- Price of Physiology (1879)

The contribution and work of Casimir Davaine

Work on the coal

The expression “disease of coal” comes from the black color which takes the blood of the animals and the pustules of the human beings contaminated by the disease.

In 1850, Davaine discovers, with the French dermatologist Pierre Rayer (1793 - 1867), a micro-organism in the blood of sheep sick and died of the coal. This bacillus isolated in sick blood is known since like that of the Anthrax.

In this same year 1850, Pierre Rayer publishes a test on the coal, which contains the first description of the Bacillus anthracis. To stripe there described the result of the inoculation of carbonaceous blood to operational sheep and notes that the blood of inoculated operational sheep has same the characteristics as that of the animals reached of this disease.

In 1863, Davaine shows that this bacillus can be directly transmitted of an animal to another. It publishes an article in the Reports of the Academy of Science in which it explains why it transmitted the coal to various animals by injection of blood of carbonaceous animals.

Later, the German doctor, Robert Koch (1843 - 1910), will bring elements on the epidemiology of the coal.

In 1865, Davaine receives the Bréant price for its research on the coal.

In 1868, Davaine tries to determine the duration of incubation of coal by using a technique of experimental inoculation by using a syringe of Pravaz.

In 1870, it publishes its studies on the Contagion of the coal in the pets.

In 1873, it shows that the carbonaceous blood diluted in water loses its virulence if it is heated with 55° during 5 minutes. On the other hand if blood is dried, the bactéridies preserve their pathogenic capacity even if they are high at a temperature of 100°. He seeks in experiments to block the malignant pustules of the coal by applying a hot iron and he foresees a possibility of a curative treatment.

Other work of Casimir Davaine

Casimir Davaine is also known for his work of pioneer of the Septicémie. He makes in experiments the distinction between coal and septicaemia.

It was also interested in the Embryologie, the Tératologie, the vegetable Pathologie, the Parasitologie. For this reason, it describes in 1854 the parasite Trichomonas hominis.

Quotations

Here what the historian of sciences says, Antonio Cadeddu, of Casimir Davaine: " The merit for the first time to have shown the pathogenic role of a bacterium for the man and the pets returns entirely to a French doctor, curiously little known and little studied: Casimir Davaine". (Antonio Cadeddu).

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