Emile Achard, full name Emile Charles Achard (24 July 1860 – 1944) was a French internist born in Paris. In 1893 he became médecin des hôpitaux, and later a professor of general pathology

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

 and therapeutics. In 1910 he was appointed professor of internal medicine

Internal medicine

Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...

 at the University of Paris

University of Paris

The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...

. He also was also a physician at Hôpital Cochin in Paris

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...

.

In 1896 with Raoul Bensaude

Raoul Bensaude

Raoul Bensaude was a French physician born in the Azores. He became a famous gastroenterologist that pioneered proctology in France...

 (1866–1938), he identified a disease he called paratyphoid fever

Paratyphoid fever

Paratyphoid fevers or Enteric fevers are a group of enteric illnesses caused by serotypic strains of the Salmonella genus of bacteria, S. Paratyphi....

, and was able to isolate the cause to a microbe named salmonella paratyphi. Also a postmenopausal condition known as "diabetic-bearded woman syndrome" is now referred to as Achard-Thiers syndrome

Achard-Thiers syndrome

Achard–Thiers syndrome combines the features of Adrenogenital syndrome and Cushing syndrome. It is also known as diabetic-bearded woman syndrome .The disease is named for Emile Achard and Joseph Thiers.-Clinical features:...

, and the eponymous Achard syndrome

Achard syndrome

Achard syndrome is a syndrome consisting of arachnodactyly, receding lower jaw, and joint laxity limited to the hands and feet. Hypermobility and subluxations of the joints, increased lateral excursion of the patellas and other findings reflect the increased ligament laxity...

 is a syndrome consisting of arachnodactyly

Arachnodactyly

Arachnodactyly or achromachia, is a condition in which the fingers are abnormally long and slender in comparison to the palm of the hand...

, a receding lower jaw and joint laxity in the extremities.

In 1897 Achard and internist Joseph Castaigne

Joseph Castaigne

Joseph Philippe Emmanuel Castaigne was a French internist who was a native of Bassac, Charente.He studied at the Medical University of Paris, and was later an interne of hospitals in Paris, where in 1908 became Médecin des hôpitaux...

 (1871–1951) developed a urinary test using methylene blue

Methylene blue

Methylene blue is a heterocyclic aromatic chemical compound with the molecular formula C16H18N3SCl. It has many uses in a range of different fields, such as biology and chemistry. At room temperature it appears as a solid, odorless, dark green powder, that yields a blue solution when dissolved in...

 dye to examine kidney

Kidney

The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...

 function. The criteria used was to find the percentage of dye, injected subcutaneously, that showed up in the urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

within a 24-hour period. This procedure was to become known as the Achard-Castaigne test. With Castaigne he published Manuel des maladies du tube digestif.