Jean Hyacinthe Henri Vincent (22 December 1862 – 23 November 1950) was a French physician who was a native of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

. He was an associate professor at Val-de-Grâce, as well as medical inspector general with the French Army. Later he attained the chair of

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

. Vincent is credited with the discovery of the organisms that cause an acute infection of the oral soft tissues, including the

tonsils The tonsils are a set of lymphoid organs facing into the aerodigestive tract, which is known as Waldeyer's tonsillar ring and consists of the adenoid tonsil, two tubal tonsils, two palatine tonsils, and the lingual tonsils. These organs play a ...

and

pharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its st ...

. This condition is caused by the combination of the fusiform

bacilli Bacilli is a taxonomic class of bacteria that includes two orders, Bacillales and Lactobacillales, which contain several well-known pathogens such as ''Bacillus anthracis'' (the cause of anthrax). ''Bacilli'' are almost exclusively gram-positi ...

(''

Bacillus fusiformis ''Lysinibacillus fusiformis'' (commonly abbreviated ''L. fusiformis'') is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium of the genus ''Lysinibacillus''.Priest, FG, M. Goodfellow, and C. Todd. "A Numerical Classification of the Genus Bacillus." National C ...

''), and the

spirochete A spirochaete () or spirochete is a member of the phylum Spirochaetota (), (synonym Spirochaetes) which contains distinctive diderm (double-membrane) gram-negative bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled (corkscrew-shaped or s ...

('' Borrelia vincentii''). The disease was called Vincent's angina in honor of his discovery. Many publications using the term "Vincent's angina" date from the twentieth century, and the term is not so common in modern times. When the gums are involved, it was termed "Vincent's gingivitis". In modern times, Vincent's gingivitis is usually termed necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (sometimes known as trench mouth). He is also remembered for his work with

vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

s, and his successful inoculations of the French Army against

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and

paratyphoid fever Paratyphoid fever, also known simply as paratyphoid, is a bacterial infection caused by one of the three types of ''Salmonella enterica''. Symptoms usually begin 6–30 days after exposure and are the same as those of typhoid fever. Often, a grad ...

, types A and B. He started these vaccinations in 1910, and they were continued during World War I. Marshals

Joseph Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroupi ...

(1852–1931) and

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...

(1851–1929) paid homage to Vincent and his medical work that saved countless lives.

References

* ''This article is based on a translation of an article from the French Wikipedia.'' French epidemiologists 1862 births 1950 deaths Academic staff of the Collège de France Physicians from Bordeaux Members of the French Academy of Sciences Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour French military doctors {{France-med-bio-stub