Jean Antoine Villemin
Encyclopedia
Jean-Antoine Villemin was a French
physician
born in Prey, Vosges
. In 1865 he demonstrated that tuberculosis
was an infectious disease
.
, and studied medicine at the military medical school at Strasbourg
, qualifying as an army doctor in 1853. Afterwards he practiced medicine at the military hospital of Val-de-Grâce
in Paris
. In 1874 he became a member of Academy of Medicine, and was its vice-president in 1891.
Villemin proved that tuberculosis was an infectious disease by inoculating
laboratory rabbits with material from infected humans and cattle. He published his results in the treatise Etudes sur la Tuberculosis (Studies on Tuberculosis). Here he describes the transmission of tuberculosis
from humans to rabbits, from cattle to rabbits, and from rabbits to rabbits. However, his findings were ignored by the scientific community at the time, and Villemin's contributions wouldn't be realized until years later when they were corroborated by other scientists.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
born in Prey, Vosges
Prey, Vosges
Prey is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.- Geography :Prey is a small rural commune positioned halfway between Bruyères and Docelles.- Distinguished son :...
. In 1865 he demonstrated that tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
was an infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
.
Biography
Villemin was born in the department of VosgesVosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
, and studied medicine at the military medical school at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, qualifying as an army doctor in 1853. Afterwards he practiced medicine at the military hospital of Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
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 1874 he became a member of Academy of Medicine, and was its vice-president in 1891.
Villemin proved that tuberculosis was an infectious disease by inoculating
Inoculation
Inoculation is the placement of something that will grow or reproduce, and is most commonly used in respect of the introduction of a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into the body of a human or animal, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease...
laboratory rabbits with material from infected humans and cattle. He published his results in the treatise Etudes sur la Tuberculosis (Studies on Tuberculosis). Here he describes the transmission of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
from humans to rabbits, from cattle to rabbits, and from rabbits to rabbits. However, his findings were ignored by the scientific community at the time, and Villemin's contributions wouldn't be realized until years later when they were corroborated by other scientists.