Pierre Eugène Ménétrier (7 December 1859 – 22 August 1935) was a French
pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...
from
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
. He is remembered for his description of a rare gastric disorder that was later to become known as
Ménétrier's disease
Ménétrier disease is a rare, acquired, premalignant disease of the stomach characterized by massive gastric folds, excessive mucous production with resultant protein loss, and little or no acid production. The disorder is associated with excess ...
.
In 1888 Ménétrier first described the disorder while performing post-mortem studies, noticing
hyperplastic
Hyperplasia (from ancient Greek ὑπέρ ''huper'' 'over' + πλάσις ''plasis'' 'formation'), or hypergenesis, is an enlargement of an organ or tissue caused by an increase in the amount of organic tissue that results from cell proliferatio ...
changes of the
gastric mucosa
The gastric mucosa is the mucous membrane layer of the stomach, which contains the glands and the gastric pits. In humans, it is about 1 mm thick, and its surface is smooth, soft, and velvety. It consists of simple columnar epithelium, lamina ...
in
cadavers. At the time, he named the disease ''polyadenomes en nappe''. Although Ménétrier understood the debilitative factors of the disease, it wouldn't be until years later that the associated
protein-losing enteropathic aspects of the disorder were realized. Other names for "Ménétrier's disease" are "hyperplastic hypersecretory gastropathy" and "giant hypertrophic
gastritis
Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Other possi ...
". He published his findings in a treatise titled ''Des polyadenomes gastriques et de leurs rapports avec le cancer de l’estomac''.
Ménétrier published writings on
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and Greco-Roman medicine, and was a member of the
International Society for the History of Medicine
The International Society for the History of Medicine is a non profit international society devoted to the academic study of the history of medicine, including the organization of international congresses. The Society was founded in 1920 in Belgiu ...
.
[2001, Franz-Andre Sondervorst, ''Chronique de SIHM''] In 1935 he died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in
Lisieux
Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland.
Name
The name of the town derives from the ...
.
References
External links
RadiographicsEponyms in Radiology of the Digestive Tract: Historical Perspectives and Imaging Appearances
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menetrier, Pierre Eugene
1859 births
1935 deaths
French pathologists
Physicians from Paris