Nicolas Maurice Arthus
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Maurice Arthus was a French
immunologist and physiologist. The Arthus reaction
, a localized inflammatory
response, is named after him.
Arthus was born January 9, 1862 in Angers
, France
.
He studied medicine in Paris
and received his doctorate
in 1886. In 1896 he became Professor of Physiology
at the University of Fribourg
, Switzerland
. He returned to France to work at the Pasteur Institute
in 1900, and later taught at the Ecole de Médecine de Marseilles (currently integrated in the University of the Mediterranean
). In 1907, he was appointed to the Chair of Physiology at the University of Lausanne
in Switzerland, where he remained for twenty-five years.
He died in Fribourg
on February 24, 1945.
Apart from the reaction named after him, Arthus is best known for his work on anaphylaxis
. He also studied snake venom
and the role of calcium
in the coagulation
of blood.
Arthus studied in Paris and was conferred doctor of medicine in 1886. In 1890 he became Chef de conférances phsyiologiques at the Sorbonne, and in 1895 was appointed Professor of Physiology at the University of Friburg in Switzerland.
After five years, in 1900, he returned to France to become Chef de laboratoire at the Institut Pasteur in Lille. In 1903 he became professor of physiology at the Ecole de Médecine in Marseilles and in 1907, following the death of Alexander Herzen (1839–1906), he was offered the Chair of Physiology at the University of Lausanne.
In 1890 he commenced working on the coagulation of milk and with Calixte Pageo showed that the conversion of caseinogen to casein required calcium, as had already been shown for blood coagulation. He introduced the use of sodium oxalate as an anticoagulant for blood and milk. He commenced working on anaphylaxis in 1903, following its demonstration by Paul Portier (1866–1962) and Charles Robert Richet (1850–1935) who injected extract of marine animals into dogs.
He made numerous contributions to the understanding of the immune and allergic mechanisms of serum. His important work on anaphylaxis and immunity was written while Arthus was professor of physiology at the University of Lausanne. Arthus studied subcutaneous injections of horse serum into rabbits. After the fourth injection he noted that absorption was slow and a local oedematous reaction occurred; after the fifth it became purulent and after the seventh gangrenous. Intravenous injection, however, produced characteristic anaphylaxis, with rapid respiration, hypotension and incoagulability of the blood and if a high enough dose was given, respiratory and cardiac death.
He also studied the actions of snake venoms, initially separating them into three types, the cobra (Naja tripudiens) causing death by respiratory arrest, the Russel viper causing massive blood coagulation, and the Crotalas adamanteus, producing death by shock. Careful analysis of these effects in animals using small repeated doses of cobra venom made the animal resistant to muscular paralysis but resulted in death from shock. He then developed antivenin by treating the venom with formalin prior to injection in the animal.
His final years were devoted to study of physiological effects of the products of microorganisms.
Arthus modelled himself on Claude Bernard - he was particularly critical of theories which could not be tested and insisted on distinguishing such from hypotheses which could be subjected to laboratory testing.
Excerpt from www.whonamedit.com, thanks to René Dreuille for information submitted.
Nouvelle théorie chimique de la coagulation du sang.
With Calixte Pages. Archives de physiologie normale et pathologique, Paris, 1890, 5th ser., 2: 739-746. First demonstration of the essential role of calcium in the mechanism of blood coagulation.
Coagulation des liquides de l'organisme (sang, lymphe, transsudats). Paris 1894.
Précis de chimie physiologique. Paris 1895; 10th edition, 1924,
Nature des enzymes. Paris 1896.
Précis de physiologie. Paris 1901; 7th edition, 1927.
Injections répétées de serum du cheval zhez le lapin.
Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de biologie, Paris, 1903; 55: 817-820.
La physiologie. Paris 1920.
De l'anaphylaxie à l'immunité; anaphylaxie, protéotoxies, evenimations, anaphylaxie-immunité, sérums antivenimeux. Paris, Masson, 1921. 363 pages. Paris 1921.
Philosophy of scientific investigation; preface to De l'anaphylaxie à l'immunité, Paris, 1921. Translated from the French with an introduction by Henry E. Sigerist. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press, 1943, 26 pages. Also in: Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Baltimore, 1943; 3. v.14.
P. Nolf, N. M. Arthus, et al.:
Hommage à Léon Fredericq, professeur de physiologie à l’Université de Liége. Liége, 1938. 79 pages.
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...
immunologist and physiologist. The Arthus reaction
Arthus reaction
In immunology, the Arthus reaction is a type of local type III hypersensitivity reaction. Type III hypersensitivity reactions are immune complex-mediated, and involve the deposition of antigen/antibody complexes mainly in the vascular walls, serosa , and glomeruli.-History:The Arthus reaction was...
, a localized inflammatory
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
response, is named after him.
Arthus was born January 9, 1862 in Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, France
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...
.
He studied medicine 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...
and received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1886. In 1896 he became Professor of Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the University of Fribourg
University of Fribourg
The University of Fribourg is a university in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland.The roots of the University can be traced back to 1582, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg. In 1763, an Academy of law was founded by the state of Frobourg...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He returned to France to work at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
in 1900, and later taught at the Ecole de Médecine de Marseilles (currently integrated in the University of the Mediterranean
University of the Mediterranean
The University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II is a French university in the Academy of Aix and Marseille. Historically, it was part of the University of Aix-Marseille based across the communes of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille in southern France...
). In 1907, he was appointed to the Chair of Physiology at the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
in Switzerland, where he remained for twenty-five years.
He died in Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
on February 24, 1945.
Apart from the reaction named after him, Arthus is best known for his work on anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...
. He also studied snake venom
Snake venom
Snake venom is highly modified saliva that is produced by special glands of certain species of snakes. The glands which secrete the zootoxin are a modification of the parotid salivary gland of other vertebrates, and are usually situated on each side of the head below and behind the eye,...
and the role of calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
in the coagulation
Coagulation
Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop bleeding and begin repair of the damaged vessel...
of blood.
Arthus studied in Paris and was conferred doctor of medicine in 1886. In 1890 he became Chef de conférances phsyiologiques at the Sorbonne, and in 1895 was appointed Professor of Physiology at the University of Friburg in Switzerland.
After five years, in 1900, he returned to France to become Chef de laboratoire at the Institut Pasteur in Lille. In 1903 he became professor of physiology at the Ecole de Médecine in Marseilles and in 1907, following the death of Alexander Herzen (1839–1906), he was offered the Chair of Physiology at the University of Lausanne.
In 1890 he commenced working on the coagulation of milk and with Calixte Pageo showed that the conversion of caseinogen to casein required calcium, as had already been shown for blood coagulation. He introduced the use of sodium oxalate as an anticoagulant for blood and milk. He commenced working on anaphylaxis in 1903, following its demonstration by Paul Portier (1866–1962) and Charles Robert Richet (1850–1935) who injected extract of marine animals into dogs.
He made numerous contributions to the understanding of the immune and allergic mechanisms of serum. His important work on anaphylaxis and immunity was written while Arthus was professor of physiology at the University of Lausanne. Arthus studied subcutaneous injections of horse serum into rabbits. After the fourth injection he noted that absorption was slow and a local oedematous reaction occurred; after the fifth it became purulent and after the seventh gangrenous. Intravenous injection, however, produced characteristic anaphylaxis, with rapid respiration, hypotension and incoagulability of the blood and if a high enough dose was given, respiratory and cardiac death.
He also studied the actions of snake venoms, initially separating them into three types, the cobra (Naja tripudiens) causing death by respiratory arrest, the Russel viper causing massive blood coagulation, and the Crotalas adamanteus, producing death by shock. Careful analysis of these effects in animals using small repeated doses of cobra venom made the animal resistant to muscular paralysis but resulted in death from shock. He then developed antivenin by treating the venom with formalin prior to injection in the animal.
His final years were devoted to study of physiological effects of the products of microorganisms.
Arthus modelled himself on Claude Bernard - he was particularly critical of theories which could not be tested and insisted on distinguishing such from hypotheses which could be subjected to laboratory testing.
Excerpt from www.whonamedit.com, thanks to René Dreuille for information submitted.
Selected bibliography
Bibliography:Nouvelle théorie chimique de la coagulation du sang.
With Calixte Pages. Archives de physiologie normale et pathologique, Paris, 1890, 5th ser., 2: 739-746. First demonstration of the essential role of calcium in the mechanism of blood coagulation.
Coagulation des liquides de l'organisme (sang, lymphe, transsudats). Paris 1894.
Précis de chimie physiologique. Paris 1895; 10th edition, 1924,
Nature des enzymes. Paris 1896.
Précis de physiologie. Paris 1901; 7th edition, 1927.
Injections répétées de serum du cheval zhez le lapin.
Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de biologie, Paris, 1903; 55: 817-820.
La physiologie. Paris 1920.
De l'anaphylaxie à l'immunité; anaphylaxie, protéotoxies, evenimations, anaphylaxie-immunité, sérums antivenimeux. Paris, Masson, 1921. 363 pages. Paris 1921.
Philosophy of scientific investigation; preface to De l'anaphylaxie à l'immunité, Paris, 1921. Translated from the French with an introduction by Henry E. Sigerist. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press, 1943, 26 pages. Also in: Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Baltimore, 1943; 3. v.14.
P. Nolf, N. M. Arthus, et al.:
Hommage à Léon Fredericq, professeur de physiologie à l’Université de Liége. Liége, 1938. 79 pages.
- (with Calixte Pagès) Nouvelle théorie chimique de la coagulation du sang, Archives de physiologie normale et pathologique, Paris, 5th ser., 2 (1890), 739–746.
- Éléments de chimie physiologique, Paris: G. Masson, 1895.
- Eléments de physiologie, Paris: Masson, 1902.
- Injections répétées de serum du cheval chez le lapin, Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de biologie et ses filiales, Paris, 55 (1903), 817–820.
- Précis de physiologie microbienne, Paris: Masson, 1921.