Maurice Nicolas Désiré Brouha (8 May 1875 – 29 January 1948) was a Belgian gynaecologist. Brouha was born in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

on 8 May 1875. Aged 22, he graduated as a physician. He received his education and training from the zoologist

Pierre-Joseph van Beneden Pierre-Joseph van Beneden FRS FRSE FGS FZS (19 December 1809 – 8 January 1894) was a Belgian zoologist and paleontologist. Life Born in Mechelen, Belgium, he studied medicine at the State University of Leuven, and studied zoology in Paris unde ...

and the anatomist and

embryologist Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...

Auguste Swaen. For his studies of the embryological development of the liver and pancreas, he received scholarships that saw him travel to Germany, Switzerland, and France. He then focused on obstetrics and gynaecology and became an assistant to the paleontologist

Julien Fraipont Julien Jean Joseph Fraipont (17 August 1857 – 22 March 1910) was a Belgian paleontologist who worked as a professor of zoology at the University of Liège and is best known for his descriptive work on Neanderthal man. His son Charles Fraipont al ...

in 1899. He was appointed as deputy director of the School of Midwifery, which in 1908 was incorporated into the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

. In 1925, he was appointed as professor. He became one of the leading gynaecologists in Europe. He was president of the Belgian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology on three occasions; no-one else had held the presidency three times before him. He founded the journal ''Liège médical''. In 1945, he reached retirement age and became professor emeritus, and the reduced level of responsibility created a void in his life. In 1928, he became a corresponding member of the and was made a full member in 1941. Shortly afterwards, he became a corresponding member of the

Académie Nationale de Médecine Situated at 16 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the Académie nationale de médecine (National Academy of Medicine) was created in 1820 by King Louis XVIII at the urging of baron Antoine Portal. At its inception, the instituti ...

, the equivalent institution in France. He was conferred honorary doctorates from the University of Toulouse and the University of Bordeaux. Two of the Brouha children worked in

endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...

after their medical studies; both his son

Lucien Brouha Lucien Antoine Maurice Brouha (26 October 1899 – 6 October 1968) was a Belgian rower who later became a notable exercise physiologist in the United States. He won three medals (one silver and two bronze) at European Rowing Championships bet ...

and his daughter Adèle successfully developed biological pregnancy tests before their careers turned to different scientific areas. His son Paul, a lawyer, was executed during the German occupation of Liège in 1943. Maurice Brouha met accidental death on 29 January 1948.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brouha, Maurice 1875 births 1948 deaths Accidental deaths Belgian obstetricians and gynaecologists University of Liège alumni Academic staff of the University of Liège