André Gernez (25 January 1923 – 8 January 2014) was a French

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, and

Radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

.Décès du docteur André Gernez - Egalite et Réconciliation
His work has received criticism from other medical professionals as being unscientific, or Alternative medicine.↑ P. Vigeral, « La scandaleuse “campagne de prévention de la dégénérescence cancéreuse et artérielle” », ''Prescrire'' 8, p. 188-192, 1988, cité par Olivier Jallut dans ''Médecines parallèles et cancers''. Gernez explained diseases, including cancer and

neurodegenerative A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

conditions, through a theory of mitosis and differentiation. He posited that only limited populations of cells within tissue are able to divide, comparing tissue to a colony of bees in which only the

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

is able to reproduce.

Biography

André Gernez was born in January of

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

Avesnes-les-Aubert Avesnes-les-Aubert () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. Th ...

. Gernez enlisted in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

at the age of 14 under special exemption, and was certified as a military doctor in 1944. At the time, he was the youngest doctor in France at the age of 21. Gernez established a radiology-radiotherapy practice, which he ran from 1968 to 1976. In 1989 Gernez co-founded an association, Organic Union International (OUI), in favor of

self-medication Self-medication is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological conditions: for example headaches or fatigue. The substances most widely used in sel ...

with doctors Jacques Lacaze and Jean-Pierre Willem. He died aged 90 in 2014.

Beliefs and Criticism

In 1970, Gernez contested the belief first established by

Santiago Ramón y Cajal Santiago Ramón y Cajal (; 1 May 1852 – 17 October 1934) was a Spanish neuroscientist, pathologist, and histologist specializing in neuroanatomy and the central nervous system. He and Camillo Golgi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Me ...

that neurogenesis ceases after birth, postulating that neurogenesis can continue after birth. Gernez's theory is not held to be true by the general scientific community, as supporting evidence only suggests that mitosis of neural cells does not continue after birth. In 1980, Gernez proposed a "biological need to believe," suggesting that religious belief is genetically fixed in the limbic system. Although others have proposed similar theories, there is no empirical evidence suggesting that religion has a biological basis. Oncologist Olivier Jallut describes Gernez's preventative treatments as dangerous and unacceptable, and his curative methods as lacking in scientific legitimacy. Jallut cites earlier writings by Vigeral on the topic, who similarly described Gernez's work as having no scientific basis, with inadequate evaluation methods, and his practices as ineffective and potentially dangerous.

Awards

*1979: Hans Adalbert Schweigart medal from

World Union for Protection of Life The World Union for Protection of Life (German: ''Weltbund zum Schutz des Lebens'', French: ''Union Mondiale pour la Protection de la Vie'', Russian: Всемирный союз для защиты жизни) is an international non-profit organ ...

on 17 June in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

, Austria with

Konrad Lorenz Konrad Zacharias Lorenz (; 7 November 1903 – 27 February 1989) was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch. He is often regarde ...

. *2007: November 19, gold medal of Societé d'Encouragement au Progrès (SEP) in Senate at Paris, France.'' La Tribune du Progrès'' n°34, Hiver/Printemps 2009

Bibliography and films

*''Prévention de la dégénérescence cancéreuse et artérielle'', André Gernez, (available in 2009). *''Le scandale du siècle'', tome 1 & 2, DVD André Gernez with the collaboration of Jean-Pierre Willem, produced by Jean-Yves Bilien, 2007. *''Les grands médicaments'', Henri Pradal et André Gernez, éd. Edition du Seuil, Paris (France), 1975. *''Néo-postulats biologiques et pathogéniques'', André Gernez, éd.

La vie Claire La Vie Claire was a professional road bicycle racing team named after its chief sponsor La Vie Claire, a chain of health food stores. History The La Vie Claire team was created in 1984 by Bernard Tapie and directed by Paul Köchli. The tea ...

, Mandres-les-roses (France), 1975, first published October 1968, 122 pages. *''Loi et règles de la cancérisation'', André Gernez, éd. Verschave, Roubaix (France), 1970, 168 pages. *''Le cancer, dynamique et éradication'', André Gernez, December 1969, 162 pages. *''La carcinogénèse, mécanisme et prévention'' (essai sur la dynamique des populations cellulaires), André Gernez, March 1969, 182 pages.

Notes and references

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gernez, Andre 1923 births 2014 deaths People from Nord (French department) French oncologists French radiologists