Felix d' Hérelle (1873-1949), born with the Quebec with Montreal, is a specialist in Microbiologie and Bactériophage S (virus attacking the bacteria and killing them), he invented the Phagothérapie. He made his studies with the Lycée Condorcet and the Louis-the-Large Lycée. He studied the Médecine in Europe, but one is unaware of exactly where. According to certain people, he would be only one stove setter, but some of its work are taken again today.

Biography

In 1901, resident with Longueuil, it published an article, being presented in the form of a Chimiste, where it “showed” that the plants manufactured CO₂ without original source. It is a theory considered as absurdity still today. It will be its only “test” in chemistry.

In 1902, it leaves for the Guatemala, where it obtains a post of microbiologist, disciplines that it does not know, but to which it is initiated during the voyage! From Guatemala, he travels through the Mesoamerica and, with the Mexico, he discovers a coccobacille in the intestine of dead Sauterelle S. He proposes to fight against the invasions of grasshoppers by bacteriological means. Certain sources affirm that it failed and others which it gained of successes in Argentine and in North Africa. Up to that point, its course resembles that of a Charlatan. Since 1912, it fought the Argentinas plagues of grasshopper by use of Coccobacillus.

But, in 1917, one finds it with the Institut Pasteur, with Paris, where it makes a major discovery: the Bacteriophage, a ultravirus (impossible to observe at the time, because preceding the development by the electron microscopes) which attacks the bacteria. He concludes from it with the possibility of using this “invisible microbe” to fight all the epidemics.

During the First World War, of Hérelle, helped inter alia by his wife and her daughters, produced more 12 million of amounts of drug for the allied soldiers. The medical care rudimentary was then compared with current (2005), and few Vaccin S was still available (those of Jenner against variola, of Yersin against the plague and of course of Pasteur against the rage). The common curative treatments were mercury, strychnin, and cocaine bases. For this reason, mortality infiantile was raised, bringing back the espèerance of life to the birth to 45 years only, figure which still the Great War cause a drop in.

Beginning 1919, it isolates from the bacteriophages in chicken, treating successfully by this means a Typhus of chicken. After this successful experience, he undertakes to look after human patients. The first cured patient of the Dysenterie by Phagotherapie will be to it in August 1919.

Of 1920 with 1925, the phagothérapie, as one calls the use of the bacteriophage against the bacteria, is with the mode a little everywhere in the world. D' Hérelle markets its discovery. It is congédié Institut Pasteur in 1925 for reasons ever cleared up. He works in India, in Egypt and finally, one offers to him a pulpit with Yale.

Of 1934 with 1936, it works in Soviet Union (Georgia) where it bases research institutes on the bacteriophage. It must leave the country precipitately when, during one of the great Stalinist purgings, one of his/her collaborators is shot “to have tried to poison a well with bacteriophages”.

Of return to Paris, it founds a laboratory deprived in partnership with Nicolas Boulgakov, brother of Mikhaïl Boulgakov, the fantastic author.

He dies forgotten in 1949.

Bacteriophage

The insulation of the bacteriophages by Hérelle functions as follows:

• a food Substrat is reached by Bactérie S; this medium becomes opaque;

• the bacteria are reached bacteriophages and produce new bacteriophages, the substrate clears up themselves;
• the substrate is filtered by porcelain filter, retaining the different bacteria elements of big size, only the smaller bacteriophages cross it.

The bacteriophage was supplanted by the Antibiotique S, but it is still used to identify the bacterial strains and, more and more, its capacity to divert DNA bacteria which it attacks and to recombine it in fact an invaluable tool of the genetic engineering. One is interested in it again also in the context of increasingly large resistance of the bacteria to antibiotics.

Anecdotes

A collection Felix-D' Hérelle including/understanding 420 viruses was assembled by Hans Wolfgang Ackermann, professor with the Université Laval. In 2003, at the time of its retirement, the priceless collection was transferred to Sylvain Moineau, Ph.D also professor at the University Laval (http://www.phage.ulaval.ca/).

Name of Felix of Hérelle is found in Years 1960, on list published by Foundation Nobel, which comprises names of scientists who would have been worthy to gain the price of the same name, but had been évincés for a reason or another.

An avenue bears its name in the 16th District of Paris