Camille-Melchior Gibert
Encyclopedia
Camille-Melchior Gibert was a French dermatologist who was a native of Paris
. He was an intern to Laurent-Théodore Biett
(1781–1840), and later a physician at the Hôpital Saint-Louis
in Paris. He died during the 1866 Paris cholera
epidemic.
Gibert is remembered for providing the first accurate description of a papulosquamous skin disorder that he named pityriasis rosea
. Historically this condition was also called "Gibert's disease". His best known written work on skin diseases was a tome called "Traité pratique des maladies spéciales de la peau".
In 1859, with Dr. Joseph Alexandre Auzias-Turenne (1812–1870), Gibert took part in a controversial experiment in which human patients were deliberately infected with syphilis
in order to demonstrate the infectious nature of secondary syphilis.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was an intern to Laurent-Théodore Biett
Laurent-Théodore Biett
Laurent-Théodore Biett was a Swiss-born dermatologist from Schams in the canton of Graubünden. He is chiefly remembered for introducing into France an anatomical methodology of analyzing skin diseases; a system that was first developed by British dermatologist Robert Willan .In 1786 he moved with...
(1781–1840), and later a physician at the Hôpital Saint-Louis
Hôpital Saint-Louis
Hôpital Saint-Louis is a hospital in Paris, France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 avenue Claude-Vellefaux, in the 10th arrondissement, near the metro station: Goncourt.-External links:*...
in Paris. He died during the 1866 Paris cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic.
Gibert is remembered for providing the first accurate description of a papulosquamous skin disorder that he named pityriasis rosea
Pityriasis rosea
Pityriasis rosea is a skin rash. It is non-dangerous but may inflict substantial discomfort on some people...
. Historically this condition was also called "Gibert's disease". His best known written work on skin diseases was a tome called "Traité pratique des maladies spéciales de la peau".
In 1859, with Dr. Joseph Alexandre Auzias-Turenne (1812–1870), Gibert took part in a controversial experiment in which human patients were deliberately infected with syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
in order to demonstrate the infectious nature of secondary syphilis.