René Leriche

René Leriche
Born 12 October 1879
Roanne, Loire
Died 28 December 1955 (1955-12-29) (aged 76)
Cassis
Nationality France
Fields surgeon

René Leriche (12 October 1879, Roanne, Loire – 28 December 1955, Cassis, near Marseille) was a famous French surgeon.

Eponymous terms

René Leriche gave his name to two syndromes:

Career

René Leriche 1915

Born in Roanne the son of a lawyer Leriche began his career in Lyon. In 1924 he was appointed Professor of Surgery at the University of Strasbourg. In 1927 he was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He was the first surgeon to be made Professeur au Collège de France.

He was a technically gifted surgeon and had flair for teaching. This attracted students to him - many of whom became renowned in their own right. He emphasised the importance of regarding the patient as a whole - the holistic approach.

He devised a surgical procedure, the sympathectomy, to increase blood flow within arteries.

He was awarded the Lister Medal in 1939 for his contributions to surgical science.[1] The corresponding Lister Memorial Lecture, delivered that same year at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was titled 'The Listerian Idea in 1939'.[2]

In 1958, a French postage stamp was issued with his name and portrait on it.

Personality

Leriche was a flamboyant character who enjoyed French cuisine and fine wine. He had a fine collection of art (one of his patients was Matisse). He was an excellent public speaker who never needed notes.

References and notes

  1. Announcement of the award of the Lister Medal - Br Med J. 1938 May 28; 1(4038): 1163–1166.
  2. The Listerian Idea in 1939, René Leriche, Br Med J. 1939 April 15; 1(4084): 759–764.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.