Jean Hamburger
Encyclopedia
Jean Hamburger was a French physician, surgeon and essayist. He is particularly known for his contribution to nephrology, and for having performed the first renal transplantation in France in 1952.
. In 1952, at Necker Hospital in Paris, he performed the first successful renal transplant surgery in France, on a 16-year-old carpenter, Marius Renard who damaged his only kidney when he fell off scaffolding, using a kidney donated by the subject's mother. The organ failed, but rejection was staved off for three weeks, a record at the time. In 1955, he created the very first articifial kidney. Hamburger is credited with major breakthroughs in renal transplants: first prolonged success in 1953, first unqualified success between twins in 1959 and non-twins in 1962.
He also authored basic research on the immunological basis of kidney disease, graft immunology and auto-immune
diseases.
In the 1950s, Hamburger contracted a lung infection which weakened him severely. Hamburger was the father of the well-known French singer-songwriter, Michel Berger
. Hamburger died on 1 February 1992.
on 18 April 1985, succeeding Pierre Emmanuel
, in an official ceremony which took place on 16 January 1986. Upon his death, Cardinal Albert Decourtray
was elected to fill his seat on 1 July 1993.
Biography
Hamburger was born in Paris. Together with René Kuss, Hamburger defined the precise methods and rules for conducting renal transplantation surgery, and is attributed with founding the medical discipline of nephrologyNephrology
Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
. In 1952, at Necker Hospital in Paris, he performed the first successful renal transplant surgery in France, on a 16-year-old carpenter, Marius Renard who damaged his only kidney when he fell off scaffolding, using a kidney donated by the subject's mother. The organ failed, but rejection was staved off for three weeks, a record at the time. In 1955, he created the very first articifial kidney. Hamburger is credited with major breakthroughs in renal transplants: first prolonged success in 1953, first unqualified success between twins in 1959 and non-twins in 1962.
He also authored basic research on the immunological basis of kidney disease, graft immunology and auto-immune
Autoimmunity
Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self, which allows an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an autoimmune disease...
diseases.
Personal life
Hamburger married concert pianist Annette Haas, and had 3 children, Michel, Bernard and Françoise.In the 1950s, Hamburger contracted a lung infection which weakened him severely. Hamburger was the father of the well-known French singer-songwriter, Michel Berger
Michel Berger
Michel Berger , born Michel Jean Hamburger, was a very successful French singer and songwriter. He was a central figure of France's pop music scene for two decades both as a singer and as a songwriter for well-known French artists like his wife France Gall, Françoise Hardy and Johnny Hallyday...
. Hamburger died on 1 February 1992.
Published works
- 1972 La Puissance et la Fragilité (Flammarion)
- 1975 Dictionnaire de médecine, préface et direction (Flammarion)
- 1976 L’Homme et les Hommes (Flammarion)
- 1979 Demain, les autres (Flammarion)
- 1981 Un jour, un homme... (Flammarion)
- 1982 Introduction au langage de la médecine (Flammarion)
- 1983 Le journal d’Harvey (Flammarion)
- 1984 La Raison et la Passion (Le Seuil)
- 1985 Le Dieu foudroyé (Flammarion)
- 1986 Le Miel et la Ciguë (Le Seuil)
- 1988 Monsieur Littré (Flammarion)
- 1988 La plus belle aventure du monde (Gallimard)
- 1988 Zouchy et quelques autres histoires (Flammarion)
- 1989 Dictionnaire promenade (Le Seuil)
- 1990 La Puissance et la Fragilité. Vingt ans après (Flammarion)
- 1990 Le Livre de l’aventure humaine (Gallimard)
- 1991 Les Belles Imprudences, Réflexion sur la condition humaine (Odile Jacob)
Honours and awards
He was elected to life membership to Seat 4 of the Académie françaiseAcadémie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
on 18 April 1985, succeeding Pierre Emmanuel
Pierre Emmanuel
Noël Mathieu better known under his pseudonym Pierre Emmanuel, was a French poet of Christian inspiration...
, in an official ceremony which took place on 16 January 1986. Upon his death, Cardinal Albert Decourtray
Albert Decourtray
Albert Florent Augustin Decourtray S.T.D. was a French Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon.-Early life:...
was elected to fill his seat on 1 July 1993.
- Grand officier de la Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Grand officier de l'ordre national du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
External links
- Académie française biography
- RFI Musique – biography of Michel Berger