Ernest Henri Besnier (; 21 April 1831 – 15 May 1909, Paris) was a French

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

and medical director of the

Hôpital Saint-Louis Hôpital Saint-Louis is a hospital in Paris, France. It was built in 1611 by architect Claude Vellefaux at the request of Henry IV of France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 avenue ...

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 ...

. He was a native of

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...

, département

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

. He studied medicine in

, where in 1857 he received his medical doctorate. In 1863 he became ''médecin des hôpitaux''. In 1873 he succeeded

Pierre-Antoine-Ernest Bazin Pierre-Antoine-Ernest Bazin (20 February 1807 – 14 December 1878) was a French physician and dermatologist born in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt. His brother, Antoine-Pierre-Louis Bazin (1799-1863), was a noted Sinologist. In 1828 he started work as ...

(1807–1878) as dermatologist at the Hôpital Saint Louis, where later the same year, he was named director. He built

histopathology Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ''histos'' "tissue", πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", and -λογία '' -logia'' "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Spe ...

and

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

laboratories at the hospital, and is credited with originating the term

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a diseas ...

for tissue samples. In 1889 he proved an early description of skin lesions associated with

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (also known as ''Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease'') is a disease involving abnormal collections of inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph nodes. Less commonly af ...

, introducing the name "

lupus pernio Lupus pernio is a Chronic (medicine), chronic raised indurated (hardened) lesion of the skin, often purplish in color. It is seen on the Human nose, nose, ears, cheeks, lips, and forehead. It is pathognomonic of sarcoidosis. The name "lupus pernio" ...

". With Pierre Adolphe Adrien Doyon (1827–1907), he founded the medical journal ''Annales de dermatologie et de syphiligraphie''. Besnier attempted to balance the differences between the French and Viennese approaches to dermatological medicine, and in 1881 with Doyon, translated

Moritz Kaposi Moritz Kaposi ( hu, Kaposi Mór, ; 23 October 1837 in Kaposvár, Hungary – 6 March 1902 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary) was a Hungarian physician and dermatologist who discovered the skin tumor that received his name (Kaposi's sarcoma). Biography ...

's famous book on skin diseases (''Pathologie und Therapie der Hautkrankheiten in Vorlesungen für praktische Ärzte und Studirende'') from German into French (''Leçons sur les maladies de la peau''). With

Louis-Anne-Jean Brocq Louis-Anne-Jean Brocq (1 February 1856 – 18 December 1928) was a French dermatologist born in Laroque-Timbaut, a village in the department of Lot-et-Garonne. He practiced medicine in Paris at the Hospice la Rochefoucauld, the Hôpital Broca, an ...

and

Lucien Jacquet Leonard Marie Lucien Jacquet (30 October 1860 in Sauviat – 20 December 1914 in Royan) was a French dermatologist and syphilogist. He studied medicine in Limoges and from 1883 served as an interne in Paris, where his instructors included Er ...

, he published a four volume encyclopedia of dermatology, titled "''La pratique dermatologique''" (1900–04). The eponymous

Besnier's prurigo Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thickens over time ...

is named for a skin disorder that often follows infantile

atopic dermatitis Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in puritis, itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thickens o ...

.Besnier's prurigo
at

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 bibliograph ...

References

''Ernest Henri Besnier''
at

External links

* 1831 births 1909 deaths People from Honfleur French dermatologists 19th-century French physicians 20th-century French physicians Officiers of the Légion d'honneur {{France-med-bio-stub