François Joseph Victor Broussais , born with Saint-Malo the December 14th 1772, deceased with Vitry-sur-Seine the November 17th 1838, was a Médecin and surgeon French.

Biographical summary

His father, itself officer of health and surgeon, teaches the first rudiments of his trade to him. He also follows during a few years the teaching of the college of Cordeliers of Dinan where he is the school-fellow of Chateaubriand. At seventeen years, it engages in a republican regiment lately created, which gives the opportunity to him to take part, in 1792, with the fight against the Vendean insurrection. It must however resign for health reasons at the end of two years and resumes its studies of medicine, which enables him to obtain an engagement of surgeon in the National marine. In 1799, it settles with Paris where he is the pupil of Xavier Bichat and from Philippe Pinel and where he obtains his diploma for the occupation of doctor in 1803. It is strong of this luggage and solids competences that it joined the armed with Napoleon in 1805: in the capacity as doctor of the armies, it will take part in the campaigns of the Empire in Germany, in the Netherlands and in Spain.

Of return to Paris in 1814, he is initially ordinary doctor, then doctor as a chief of the military hospital of the Valley-of-Grace. It is there that it works out its original theory of the relations between “life” and “stimulus” and on the interdependence (or “sympathies”) of the various bodies. These ideas recontrent a great success near the students, but the publication, in 1816 of its work criticizing the “generally adopted medical doctrines”, attracts the lightnings of Faculty to him. Gradually, however, its ideas end up being essential.

In 1830, it is named professor of Pathologie at the Medical college and inspector of the department of health; he becomes member of the Academy of Science morals and political, during his re-establishment (1832).

Towards the end of its career, it adopts the opinions of Gall and teaches the Phrénologie.

He dies in 1838 of a Cancer of the Rectum of which he had followed the evolution on itself with a scientific precision.

François-Auguste Mignet read, in 1840, a Notice on Broussais with the Academy of Science morals.

Its doctrines

Broussais is at the origin of the identity of physiological and pathological, assertion which will be taken again by Auguste Count and partially by Claude Bernard. It supports that in pathology “all is ignition”, explaining all the pathological phenomena by the irritation and the ignition of fabrics, especially those of the digestive tract, and recommended the treatment antiphlogistic . One often shows it to have professed an exclusive system and to have deceived the bled . The violence of the cholera epidemic of 1832 contributed to discredit the physiological medicine preached by Broussais.

Principle of Broussais

Broussais is the inventor of a principle according to which: “there is identity of normal and pathological, with the quantitative variations near”.

Works

• History of the chronic phlegmasies , 1808: work in which it fights the medical system of the time
• Examen of the generally adopted medical doctrines , 1816: work highly criticizing the received doctrines and which made a revolution in the school
• Annales of physiological medicine , re-examined periodic
• Traité physiology applied to pathology , 1822
• Traité pathological physiology , 1825
• Traité to irritation and the madness , 1828
• the association of the physique and moral the , 1834

Quotation

“This small Laennec section of the soothsayer by telling heaps of stories with its cylinder. This moves away us from the physiological medicine, which is only possible medicine and depends on irritation”.

External bonds

• a biography of Broussais
• Note posted on a French-speaking blog devoted to the eminent doctors

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