Germanicus Mirault was a
French surgeon who pioneered
cleft lip
A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The te ...
surgery.
Early life
Germanicus Mirault was born in Angers on either 29 February or 1 March 1796 (1796 was a leap year).
His father and grandfather were also surgeons, with his father specialising in
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
.
Education
Mirault first began studying medicine under his father in 1814.
Moving to Paris to continue his studies, he presented his thesis in 1823 on
keratitis
Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the clear dome on the front surface of the eye, becomes inflamed. The condition is often marked by moderate to intense pain and usually involves any of the following symptoms: pain, impaired e ...
.
Medical career
Together with
Joseph-François Malgaigne, Mirault introduced
flap transposition for cleft-lip closure.
[Mirault G. Deux lettres sur l'operation du bec-delievre. J Chir. 1844;2:257.] In 1935, this work was championed by Victor Veau, who stated "Mirault is the genius of cleft lip surgery".
[Veau V. Bec de Lievre. Hypothese sur la malformation initiale. Ann Anat Pathol Paris. 1935;12:389.] He made other key contributions to
maxillofacial surgical procedures, including the first
ligature
Ligature may refer to:
* Ligature (medicine), a piece of suture used to shut off a blood vessel or other anatomical structure
** Ligature (orthodontic), used in dentistry
* Ligature (music), an element of musical notation used especially in the me ...
of a human
lingual artery
The lingual artery arises from the external carotid artery between the superior thyroid artery and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue.
Structure
The lingual artery first branches off from the external carotid artery. It runs ...
in 1833 and pioneering a method of temporary occlusion of the eyelids when correcting a post-burn
ectropion
Ectropion is a medical condition in which the lower eyelid turns outwards. It is one of the notable aspects of newborns exhibiting congenital Harlequin-type ichthyosis, but ectropion can occur due to any weakening of tissue of the lower eyelid ...
, which is still in use today.
Awards
Mirault was awarded by the
Académie des Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at th ...
in 1869 for his work on eyelid surgery.
Death
Mirault died on 19 January 1879 in Angers.
References
French surgeons
People from Angers
1796 births
1879 deaths
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