Paul Georges Dieulafoy (18 November 1839 – 16 August 1911) 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 ...

and

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. He is best known for his study of

acute appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rupt ...

and his description of

Dieulafoy's lesion Dieulafoy's lesion (or Dieulofoy lesion) is a medical condition characterized by a large tortuous arteriole most commonly in the stomach wall ( submucosal) that erodes and bleeds. It can present in any part of the gastrointestinal tract. It can ca ...

, a rare cause of gastric bleeding.

Life, studies, and career

Dieulafoy was born in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. He studied medicine in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in 1869. In 1863, during his third year of medical school, Dieulafoy went to Paris to attend the clinical department of Professor Armand Trousseau. The two men remained close until the former's death in 1867, with Dieulafoy being referred to as Trousseau's spiritual son. Dieulafoy later led an ambulance service at the Holy Trinity Church of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, became Chief of Medicine at the famed

Hôtel-Dieu de Paris In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu ( en, hostel of God) was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris b ...

, taught

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

in 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 elected president of the

French Academy of Medicine French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

in 1910 after being a member since 1890. Dieulafoy married his cousin Claire Bessaignet in 1872, however the couple remained childless their entire marriage. He died in Paris on 16 August 1911 after post-surgery complications, and was buried in Montmartre cemetery.

Contributions

He perfected a pump-like device for use in

thoracentesis Thoracentesis , also known as thoracocentesis (from Greek ''thōrax'' 'chest, thorax'—GEN ''thōrakos''—and ''kentēsis'' 'pricking, puncture'), pleural tap, needle thoracostomy, or needle decompression (often used term), is an invasive med ...

, and extensively studied

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

and

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

conditions including

hydatid disease Hydatid may refer to: * Echinococcosis * ''Echinococcus granulosus'', known as the hydatid tapeworm * Hydatid of Morgagni * Hydatidiform mole A molar pregnancy also known as a hydatidiform mole, is an abnormal form of pregnancy in which a non-via ...

and epidemic

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

. However, he is perhaps best known for his study of

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

. Dieulafoy described its early symptoms and clinical manifestations in detail, most notably the collection of symptoms now known as Dieulafoy's triad (more below), and was one of the first physicians to stress the importance of

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

in the treatment of this condition. He declared: "''Le traitement médical de l'appendicite aiguë n'existe pas'' (The medical treatment of acute appendicitis does not exist)". His ''Handbook of Internal Pathology'', published from 1880 to 1884, was widely used at the time. Between 1899 and 1910 he also published, in several volumes, the case reports from his private practice. In 1890, Dieulafoy,

André Chantemesse André Chantemesse (23 October 1851 – 25 February 1919) was a French bacteriologist born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. From 1880 to 1885 he served as ''interne des hôpitaux'' in Paris, earning his doctorate in 1884 with a dissertation on ad ...

and

Georges-Fernand Widal Georges-Fernand-Isidor Widal (March 9, 1862 in Dellys, Algeria – January 14, 1929 in Paris ) was a French people, French physician. From 1886 to 1888 he devoted himself to public demonstrations of the researches of the faculty of pathological a ...

described a pulmonary condition found in persons who habitually fed pigeons in the streets. They termed it "mycotic pseudotuberculosis", now known as

allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a condition characterised by an exaggerated response of the immune system (a hypersensitivity response) to the fungus ''Aspergillus'' (most commonly ''Aspergillus fumigatus''). It occurs most oft ...

Eponyms

: the protrusion of an

arteriole An arteriole is a small-diameter blood vessel in the microcirculation that extends and branches out from an artery and leads to capillaries. Arterioles have muscular walls (usually only one to two layers of smooth muscle cells) and are the primar ...

through the gastric

mucosa A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

, usually found just below the

gastroesophageal junction The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

; subsequent rupture of the arteriole is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding *Dieulafoy's triad:

hyperesthesia Hyperesthesia is a condition that involves an abnormal increase in sensitivity to stimuli of the sense. Stimuli of the senses can include sound that one hears, foods that one tastes, textures that one feels, and so forth. Increased touch sensitivi ...

of the skin, exquisite tenderness and guarding over

McBurney's point McBurney's point is the name given to the point over the right side of the abdomen that is one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus (navel). This is near the most common location of the appendix. Locati ...

, considered a classic

sign A sign is an object, quality, event, or entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm, or me ...

*Dieulafoy's apparatus: a pump-like device to evacuate fluid from the

pleural cavity The pleural cavity, pleural space, or interpleural space is the potential space between the pleurae of the pleural sac that surrounds each lung. A small amount of serous pleural fluid is maintained in the pleural cavity to enable lubrication bet ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dieulafoy, Paul Georges Physicians from Toulouse 1839 births 1911 deaths Burials at Montmartre Cemetery French surgeons