Charles Eucharist de Medicis Sajous (December 13, 1852 – April 27, 1929) was an American endocrinologist, laryngologist, and writer based in Philadelphia. He was a prolific writer and editor of medical textbooks and encyclopedias, and was the first president of the

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed ...

. He held professorships at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia.

Early life

Sajous was born on December 13, 1852, on board an American ship that was en route to France. His father, Count Charles Ronstan de Medicis-Jodoigne House of Medici, the head of French-Flemish branch of the Italian House of Medici, died when Charles Eucharist was 2 years old; his mother remarried to James Sajous, and the boy took his stepfather's name. Charles Sajous grew up in France and Mexico before his family settled in the United States in 1861. He studied medicine at the University of California and

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

, graduating from the latter in 1878.

Career

Sajous completed two years of residency at Philadelphia's Howard Hospital before establishing a local practice in laryngology. In 1881, he was appointed a professor of anatomy and physiology at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, and in 1883, he became a clinical lecturer in laryngology at Jefferson Medical College. Sajous wrote two textbooks on laryngology that were published by the

F. A. Davis Company F.A. Davis Company (F.A. Davis or Davis) is a publishing firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded by F. A. Davis (1850–1917). Davis publishes mostly textbooks and reference books for the medical, nursing, and health-related pro ...

in 1885: ''Hayfever and Its Successful Treatment by Superficial Organic Alteration of the Nasal Mucous Membrane'' and ''Lectures on Diseases of the Nose and Throat''.

F. A. Davis Frank Allston Davis (September 8, 1850Hartzell, p. 51. – January 2, 1917Hartzell, p. 55) was a publishing executive who founded the F. A. Davis Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After moving to the Tampa Bay Area, he introduced electr ...

then chose Sajous as the editor of an annual medical encyclopedia titled ''The Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences'' to be published in five volumes per year; the first five volumes were published in 1888. With ''The Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences'', Sajous led a staff of over 100 contributors and published five volumes each year until 1896. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1888. Sajous closed his Philadelphia practice in 1891 and moved to Paris to study endocrinology. He returned to Philadelphia in 1897 because he had been made a professor of laryngology and the dean of the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, and re-opened his practice, now focusing on endocrinology. After ''The Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences'' ceased publication in 1896, Sajous and the F. A. Davis Company published a textbook for general practitioners titled ''Analytic Cyclopedia of Practical Medicine'', which had ten editions from 1898 to 1927. His book ''The Internal Secretions and the Principles of Medicine'', one of the first textbooks on endocrinology, was published in two volumes in 1903 and 1907, and summarized the existing literature on normal endocrine function and endocrine

pathophysiology Pathophysiology ( physiopathology) – a convergence of pathology with physiology – is the study of the disordered physiological processes that cause, result from, or are otherwise associated with a disease or injury. Pathology is the ...

. In 1917, Sajous was elected the inaugural president of the Association for the Study of Internal Secretions (now known as the

). The foundation of the association was driven by Henry Harrower, who urged Sajous to be its first leader and the public face of the society. He edited the ''New York Medical Journal'' from 1911 to 1919. He was a professor of

therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

at Temple University from 1910 to 1922, and he was appointed professor of applied endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1921.

Personal life and death

Sajous married Emma Christine Bergner in 1884 in Philadelphia. Their son Louis Theodore de Medicis Sajous studied medicine and worked with his father on his endocrinology research. Charles Sajous died at his home in Philadelphia on April 27, 1929. He is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Recognition

Sajous has been called the "father of American endocrinology" for his contributions to the field. He received numerous international honors: '' Officier d'Académie'' of France, Commander of the Order of the Liberator of Venezuela, Commander of the

Order of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

of Spain, and Knight and Officer of the Legion of Honour of France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sajous, Charles E. de M. 1852 births 1929 deaths American encyclopedists American endocrinologists American medical writers American otolaryngologists American people of Flemish descent American people of French descent American textbook writers Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania faculty Physicians from Philadelphia Scientists from Philadelphia Temple University faculty Writers from Philadelphia Members of the American Philosophical Society