Edmond Sergent (23 March 1876 – 20 August 1969) was a French ( Pied-Noir) physician and parasitologist, known for his research on malaria in Algeria. His work was often done in collaboration with his brother Étienne Sergent.

Biography

Edmond Sergent was born in Philippeville, today Skikda, in Algeria. He studied medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Algiers. He was an intern in the hospitals of Algiers in 1896. In 1899, he studied microbiology in Paris in the laboratory of

Émile Roux Pierre Paul Émile Roux FRS (17 December 18533 November 1933) was a French physician, bacteriologist and immunologist. Roux was one of the closest collaborators of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), a co-founder of the Pasteur Institute, and respon ...

of the Pasteur Institute. Upon returning to Algeria, he was put in charge of a permanent mission in Algiers, where he inaugurated a Pasteur Institute of which he became the director in 1912 and continued in that capacity until 1963. His time was divided between his work in Algiers and his studies of protozoology under the direction of

Félix Mesnil Félix Étienne Pierre Mesnil (Omonville-la-Petite, La Manche department, 12 December 1868 – 15 February 1938, Paris) was a French zoologist, biologist, botanist, mycologist and algologist. He was a student of Alfred Giard at the École Nor ...

and of

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

under the direction of

Eugène Louis Bouvier Eugène Louis Bouvier (9 April 1856, in Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux – 14 January 1944, in Paris) was a French entomologist and carcinologist. Bouvier was a professor at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. Biography Following graduation at ...

. Because of the Sergent brothers' outstanding reputation for their work on malaria, the French Ministry of War sent both brothers in 1916 to Salonika to take measures against the malaria which afflicted 60,000 men of the

Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient The Corps Expeditionnaire d'Orient (Oriental Expeditionary Force) (CEO) was a French Expeditionary Force raised for service during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I. The corps initially consisted of a single infantry division, but later grew ...

stationed in Macedonia. In the second half of his career, Edmond Sergent not only worked on malaria but also did research on many diseases of humans, other mammals, and plants. He retired to Andilly, Val-d'Oise and died there in 1969. Edmond Sergent had a strong personality, sometimes bringing him into conflicts with the people around him. Passionate about his native Algeria, he had a strong family spirit, often working his brother Étienne Sergent on the same scientific projects. Edmond Sergent's artistic talent was expressed in many photographs and drawings that he made in Algeria.Photos and drawings published in

Research

From 1900 to 1910, he conducted research on malaria in the Algerian marshlands, developing preventive methods of sanitation. However, the widespread practical applications of his methods were delayed by WW I and administrative obstacles. From 1927, in collaboration with his brother Étienne, he applied his methods in a 360 hectare area of the marsh of Ouled Mendil, which was part of the marshes of Boufarik. In addition to his work on malaria, he did important research on role of the body louse for '' Borrelia recurrentis'' in relapsing fever (1907–1908) and the role of '' Phlebotomus'' in the transmission of cutaneous

leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most freq ...

(1904–1921). His discoveries also concern veterinary diseases such as: the trypanosome cycle of the dromedary disease called "le debab" in Algeria (1902); malaria transmission in the pigeon by ''Lynchia maura'', a fly belonging to the family Hippoboscidae (1906–1919); and transmission by ticks of bovine babesiosis. He also did research on yeast and plant diseases such as: the role of Drosophila in the contamination of yeast cultures involved in alcoholic grape fermentation; and the identification of a '' Fusarium''-type fungus as the causal agent of '' baioudh'', a disease of the

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

Awards and honors

* Grand Officier de la Légion d'Honneur. * Croix de guerre 1914-1918. * member of the Académie des Sciences. * member of the

Académie de Médecine An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

. * member of the

Académie d'Agriculture The Académie d'agriculture de France is a voluntary association aiming to contribute to the evolution of agriculture and rural life in the scientific, technical, economic, judicial, legal, social and cultural fields. It is the successor to the s ...

. * Mary Kingsley medal of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (1920). * gold medal of the

Société de Pathologie Exotique Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA. Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the se ...

(1929). * Médaille René Caillié of the Société de géographie (1930). * Prix Osiris of the Académie des Sciences (1957). *

Manson Medal The Manson Medal (full name Sir Patrick Manson Medal, originally the Manson Memorial Medal), named in honour of Sir Patrick Manson, is the highest accolade the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene awards. Started in 1923, it is awarded tri ...

'' of the ''Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene'' (1962).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergent, Edmond 1876 births 1969 deaths French microbiologists French parasitologists Malariologists Manson medal winners Members of the French Academy of Sciences Pieds-noirs