Gustave Roussy (24 November 1874 – 30 September 1948) was a Swiss-French

neuropathologist Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole-body autopsies. Neuropathologists usually work in a department of anatomic pathology, but work closely with the clinic ...

born in

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district of ...

, Switzerland.

Career

As a hospital interne 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 ...

, Roussy worked under

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 ...

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 ...

and

Joseph Jules Dejerine Joseph Jules Dejerine (3 August 1849 – 26 February 1917), was a French neurologist. Biography Joseph Jules Dejerine was born to French parents in Geneva, Switzerland, where his father was a carriage proprietor. During the Franco-Prussian War ...

. In 1907 he earned his doctorate from 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 in 1925 was appointed professor of

pathological anatomy Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or Anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination ...

at the '' Faculté de Médecine''. Later on, he was named dean (1933) and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

(1937) to the faculty of medicine at the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Roussy made several contributions in the field of

neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...

, in particular, his investigations on the role of the

thalamus The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter located in the dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of the forebrain). Nerve fibers project out of the thalamus to the cerebral cortex in all directions, ...

and the

autonomic nervous system The autonomic nervous system (ANS), formerly referred to as the vegetative nervous system, is a division of the peripheral nervous system that supplies viscera, internal organs, smooth muscle and glands. The autonomic nervous system is a control ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was chief of neurology of the 7th Military Region

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...

, publishing extensively on his experiences with battle-related wounds. He was the author or co-author of a number of works on

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...

and neuropsychological issues as a consequence of war. In 1926, in collaboration with his colleague Gabrielle Charlotte Lévy, he published an article describing seven patients with hereditary areflexive dystasia, which then became known as Roussy-Lévy syndrome. It is a disease of the

peripheral nervous system The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of two components that make up the nervous system of bilateral animals, with the other part being the central nervous system (CNS). The PNS consists of nerves and ganglia, which lie outside the brain ...

, caused by a mutation in one of two

myelin Myelin is a lipid-rich material that surrounds nerve cell axons (the nervous system's "wires") to insulate them and increase the rate at which electrical impulses (called action potentials) are passed along the axon. The myelinated axon can be ...

genes. Roussy and Lévy published follow-up work on their first paper in 1934. In 1946 he published a 1000-page

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

titled "''Traité de Neuroendocronologie''" in regards to his research in the field of

neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. The nervous and endocrine ...

. With Jean Camus (1872-1924) he performed important studies involving damage to the

hypothalamus The hypothalamus () is a part of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamu ...

. Roussy was interested in the study and treatment of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, becoming director of the ''Institut du Cancer'' in 1930. Today in the Parisian suburb of

Villejuif Villejuif () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Name The earliest reference to Villejuif appears in a bill signed by the Pope Callixtus II on 27 November 1119. It refers to Villa Ju ...

is the Institute Gustave-Roussy, a private institution devoted to

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

Eponyms

Along with other physicians are three eponymous disorders named after him: * "Darier-Roussy sarcoid": an uncommon subcutaneous

granuloma A granuloma is an aggregation of macrophages that forms in response to chronic inflammation. This occurs when the immune system attempts to isolate foreign substances that it is otherwise unable to eliminate. Such substances include infectious ...

found in

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 ...

. Named with Ferdinand-Jean Darier. * " Dejerine-Roussy syndrome": a syndrome caused by lesions of the posterior

. It occurs in approximately 2% of all

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

patients. Named with

. * "Roussy-Lévy disease": spinocerebellar degeneration with

muscular atrophy Muscle atrophy is the loss of skeletal muscle mass. It can be caused by immobility, aging, malnutrition, medications, or a wide range of injuries or diseases that impact the musculoskeletal or nervous system. Muscle atrophy leads to muscle weaknes ...

of the lower limbs, sensory

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 ...

, plus other symptoms. A hereditary disease that is usually first noticed in infancy. Named with Dr. Gabrielle Lévy.

Selected writings

* ''Les psychonévroses de guerre'', with Jacques Jean Lhermitte (1917), later translated into English. * ''Travaux pratiques d’anatomie pathologique en quatorze séances de lectures de coupes microscopiques'', with Ivan Bertrand (1893-1965), Preface by Pierre Marie (1917), later translated into English. * ''Les blessures de la moëlle et de la queue de cheval'', with Jacques Jean Lhermitte (1918). * ''Traitement des psychonévroses de guerre'', with J. Boisseau and M. d’Oelsnitz (1919). * ''A propos de la dystasie areflexique héréditaire'', with Gabrielle Lévy. Revue neurologique, Paris, 1934, 62: 763. * ''Traité de Neuroendocrinologie'' (1946).

References

External links

''Gustave Roussy''
@

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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roussy, Gustave 1874 births 1948 deaths French neurologists Members of the French Academy of Sciences French people of Swiss descent Academic staff of the University of Paris Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery People from Vevey