Charles Foix (; 1 February 1882 – 22 March 1927) was a French internist and

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

. Charles Foix was born in

Salies-de-Béarn Salies-de-Béarn (, literally ''Salies of Béarn''; oc, Salias) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. The name comes from its naturally occurring saline water ( Gascon ''salias'' for Standard Occitan ...

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and was a pupil of

Pierre Marie Pierre Marie (9 September 1853 – 13 April 1940) was a French neurology, neurologist and political journalist close to the French Section of the Workers' International, SFIO. Medical Career After finishing medical school, he served as an int ...

at the Salpêtrière Hospital (Paris). He was an intern in 1906, ''Médecin des hôpitaux'' in 1919 and became ''agrégé'' in 1923. Foix taught at

Georges Guillain Georges Charles Guillain () (3 March 1876 – 29 June 1961) was a French neurologist born in Rouen. He studied medicine in Rouen and Paris, where he learned clinical education at several hospitals. He developed an interest in neurology, and his ...

's clinic at the Salpêtrière and at

Émile Achard Émile Charles Achard (24 July 1860 – 7 August 1944) was a French internist born in Paris. In Paris, he served as ''médecin des hôpitaux'' (from 1893), later becoming a professor of general pathology and therapeutics. In 1910, he was appo ...

's at the

Beaujon Hospital The Beaujon Hospital () is located in Clichy, Paris, France and is operated by APHDP. It was named after Nicolas Beaujon, an eighteenth-century French banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and cr ...

, always distinguishing himself by his wide knowledge and rational approach. Foix' main contributions to the

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

was to relate

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (t ...

of specific arteries at autopsies with symptoms and signs that he had established in his patients and he wrote a book on the blood supply and anatomy of the brain. With Ion Niculescu he published an imposing treatise on the anatomy and blood supply of the

midbrain The midbrain or mesencephalon is the forward-most portion of the brainstem and is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation. The name comes from the Greek ''mesos'', " ...

and interbrain. A most impressive teacher and clinician, Foix was almost as much at home with general medicine as he was with neurology. He was an accomplished poet, but even a better lyricist.

Associated eponyms

* '' Foix's syndrome I'',

Red nucleus The red nucleus or nucleus ruber is a structure in the rostral midbrain involved in motor coordination. The red nucleus is pale pink, which is believed to be due to the presence of iron in at least two different forms: hemoglobin and ferritin. ...

(anterior portion) syndrome. * '' Foix's syndrome II'', opthalmoplegic disease secondary to

intracranial aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circula ...

as or thrombosis of the

cavernous sinus The cavernous sinus within the human head is one of the dural venous sinuses creating a cavity called the lateral sellar compartment bordered by the temporal bone of the skull and the sphenoid bone, lateral to the sella turcica. Structure The cave ...

. * ''

Foix–Alajouanine syndrome Foix–Alajouanine syndrome, also called subacute ascending necrotizing myelitis, is a disease caused by an arteriovenous malformation of the spinal cord. In particular, most cases involve dural arteriovenous malformations that present in the lower ...

'', softening of the

grey matter Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distingu ...

of the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

with obliterative sclerosis of the small vessels. * '' Foix–Chavany–Marie syndrome'', form of

pseudobulbar palsy Pseudobulbar palsy is a medical condition characterized by the inability to control facial movements (such as chewing and speaking) and caused by a variety of neurological disorders. Patients experience difficulty chewing and swallowing, have in ...

due to damage to the operculum bilaterally. * '' Marie–Foix–Alajouanine syndrome'',

ataxia Ataxia is a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements that can include gait abnormality, speech changes, and abnormalities in eye movements. Ataxia is a clinical manifestation indicating dysfunction of ...

of the cerebellum in advanced age, frequently due to abuse of alcohol. * '' Schilder–Foix disease'', Nonprogressive sclerotic lesions of the

white matter White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distributi ...

of the cerebral hemisphere.

References

''Charles Foix''
@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

(retrieved 24 June 2009) {{DEFAULTSORT:Foix, Charles 1882 births 1927 deaths People from Béarn French neurologists