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Alfred Le Roy de Méricourt

Alfred Le Roy de Méricourt, born October 13, 1825 in Abbeville (Somme) and died August 12, 1901, was a French doctor.

Biography

Le Roy de Méricourt was a ship's surgeon, who served in the Indian Ocean from 1850-1852. He defended his thesis on "Medical history of the campaign of the steam corvette Archimedes, Indian Ocean station, 1850-1852" in Paris in 1852.

he took part in the Crimean War, and was appointed professor at the naval medical school in Brest in 1855, and was later chief medical officer of the French Navy. Together with Jean-Baptiste Fonssagrives, he founded the Archives de Médecine Navale (Archives of Naval Medicine) in 1864, of which he was the Director.

He became an associate member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine (National Academy of Medicine}, and published many memoirs on exotic diseases in the Naval Medicine Archives.

He was reported by Jean-Marie MacAuliffe to have criticised the descriptions of several medical conditions, stating that the narrow descriptions of origin and development have the effect of artificially inflating the number of diseases without a scientific basis, and causing unnecessary confusion in pathology.

At the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, phagedenic ulcer (from the Greek "ravenous hunger") was frequently encountered in the tropics. Guillaume Chapuis (1815-1914), naval surgeon, described the "Guyana ulcer" in convicts. The name "tropical phagedenic ulcer" was given in 1862 by Le Roy de Méricourt.

Publications

• Histoire Médicale de la campagne de la corvette à vapeur l'Archimède (Station de l'océan Indien, années 1850, 1851, 1852.) "Medical History of the Campaign of the Steam Corvette Archimedes (Indian Ocean Station, 1850s, 1851, 1852.)", 1853
• Recherches sur les poissons toxiphores exotiques des pays chauds "Research on exotic toxiphorous fish in hot countries", 1861
• Introduction au tome I des "Archives de Médecine Navale" "Introduction to volume I of the 'Archives of Naval Medicine'", 1864
• Mémoire sur la chromhidrose, ou chromocrinie cutanée: Suivi de l'étude microscopique et chimique de la substance colorante de la chromhidrose "Memory on chromhidrosis, or cutaneous chromocrini: Follow-up of the microscopic and chemical study of the coloring substance of chromhidrosis", 1864
• Étude rétrospective d'hygiène navale. Le Journal médical du dr Aaskow pendant l'expédition danoise contre Alger (1770-1771) "Retrospective study of naval hygiene. The Medical Journal of Dr. Aaskow during the Danish expedition against Algiers (1770-1771)", 1866
• Rapport sur les progrès de l'hygiène navale [Texte imprimé] / par M. Le Roy de Méricourt ; publication faite sous les auspices du Ministère de l'instruction publique "Report on the progress of naval hygiene [Printed text] by Mr. Le Roy de Méricourt; published under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Instruction", 1867
• Étude critique des mesures prophylactiques contre les maladies vénériennes proposées spécialement à l’égard des marins "Critical study of the prophylactic measures against venereal diseases proposed especially with regard to sailors", 1868
• Titres présentés par M. Le Roy de Méricourt à l'appui de sa candidature à de l'Académie de médecine "Titles presented by Mr. Le Roy de Méricourt in support of his candidacy for the Academy of Medicine", 1869
• Considérations sur l'hygiène des pêcheurs d'éponges "Considerations on the hygiene of sponge fishermen", 1869
• Titres présentés à l'appui de sa candidature à une place dans la section des membres associés libres de l'Académie de médecine "Titles presented in support of his candidacy for a place in the section of free associate members of the Academy of Medicine", 1873
• Service de Santé Naval "Naval Health Service", 1875
• La Lèpre "Leprosy", 1888 Paris : G. Masson
• Communications de M. Le Roy de Méricourt à l'Académie de médecine, dans les séances des 20 et 27 octobre 1874, au sujet du mémoire rédigé par M. Villemin, intitulé "Causes et nature du scorbut" [Texte imprimé] ; suivies d'une Discussion sur le scorbut : séances des 25 mai, 1^er juin et 8 juin 1875 "Communications of Mr. Le Roy de Méricourt to the Academy of Medicine, in the sessions of October 20 and 27, 1874} concerning the memoir written by Mr. Villemin, entitled "Causes and nature of scurvy" [Printed text]; followed by a Discussion on scurvy: sessions of 25 May, 1 June, and 8 June 1875"
• Hygiène générale … Climatologie "General hygiene … Climatology"

Sources

• Encyclopédie Larousse du XIXe siècle en 8 volumes
• Index biographique des membres, des associés et des correspondants de l'Académie de médecine, 1820-1984, 1985
• Gustave Vapereau, Dictionnaire universel des contemporains, Volume 2, 1870
• Étienne Taillemite, Dictionnaire des marins français, Paris, Éditions Tallandier, 2002, 573 p. (ISBN 978-2-84734-008-2, BNF 38887742)