Robert-Philippe Dollfus (20 July 1887 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 ...

, France – 19 February 1976 in

, France) was a French

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

parasitologist Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it f ...

. Stunkard, H.W. 1977. In Memoriam Robert-Philippe Dollfus (1887–1976). Journal of Parasitology 63: 706 & 727. Grabda, E. 1977. Robert Ph. Dollfus (1887–1976) Wspomnienie Pośmiertne. ''Wiadomości Parazytologiczne'' 23: 463–465.

Career

Robert-Philippe Dollfus was born in Paris on July 20, 1887, in a family of Protestant tradition. His father was

Gustave Frédéric Dollfus Gustave Frédéric Dollfus (26 November 1850, Paris – 6 November 1931, Paris) was a French geologist and malacologist. He was the father of parasitologist Robert-Philippe Dollfus (1887–1976). In 1868–70 he studied geology under Edmond H� ...

, famous French

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

malacologist Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...

. Very early on, he attended the laboratories of

Alfred Giard Alfred Mathieu Giard (8 August 1846 – 8 August 1908) was a French zoologist born in Valenciennes. Biography In 1867 he began his studies of natural sciences at the École Normale Supérieure, followed by work as ''préparateur de zoologie'' a ...

and that of Alfred Blanchard. As early as 1912, at the age of 25, he established the notion of

metacercaria Trematodes are parasitic flatworms of the class ''Trematoda'', specifically parasitic flukes with two suckers: one ventral and the other oral. Trematodes are covered by a tegument, that protects the organism from the environment by providing secr ...

, a stage of the lifecycle of

Digenea Digenea (Gr. ''Dis'' – double, ''Genos'' – race) is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic flatworms (known as ''flukes'') with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral and one oral. ...

. In 1914, he was on an oceanographic mission aboard the Research Vessel "

Pourquoi Pas? ''Pourquoi-Pas'' or ''Pourquoi Pas?'' (from French ''pourquoi pas?'' 'why not?') may refer to one of these ships: * Four ships owned by the French navigator and naval officer Jean-Baptiste Charcot: ** , a cutter that Charcot had built in 1893 ...

" under the orders of

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste-Étienne-Auguste Charcot (15 July 1867 – 16 September 1936), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a French scientist, medical doctor and polar scientist. His father was the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893). Life Jean-Ba ...

. During the Second World War, he was a stretcher bearer and auxiliary doctor. Between the wars, he occupied the very modest function of "préparateur" in a laboratory of the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

in Paris. However, he was able to carry out scientific expeditions in Morocco (1923-1928), the Red Sea (1928-1929) and in 1929-1930 in the Atlantic on the RV "Pourquoi Pas?". He then studied fish and crustaceans, but began to study parasites, under the supervision of famous French parasitologist

Émile Brumpt Alexandre Joseph Émile Brumpt (10 March 1877, in Paris – 8 July 1951) was a French parasitologist. He studied zoology and parasitology in Paris, obtaining his degree in science in 1901, and his medical doctorate in 1906. In 1919 he succeeded ...

. In 1941, he defended his thesis on

Trypanorhyncha ''Trypanorhyncha'' is an order of cestodes, a type of flatworm. Some species infect gamefish, such as sciaenids, during the parasitic worm's plerocercoid stage, and are commonly called spaghetti worm because of their appearance, approximating ...

Cestodes Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

, published in 1942. He was elected President of the

Zoological Society of France Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and dis ...

in 1940. He then became Director of a laboratory at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. After the Second World War, he became a confirmed and famous

helminthologist Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms (helminths). The field studies the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of helminths and their effects on their host (biology), hosts. The origin of the first compound of the word is the Greek ''wikt:ἕλ� ...

and

, but never succeeded in obtaining a post of Professor at the National Museum of Natural History. In 1957, despite his retirement, he continued to work every day at the National Museum of Natural History, practically until his death in 1976. In 1962, he was elected President of the French Society of Parasitology. Every spring, Robert-Philippe Dollfus went to Morocco, where his daughter lived, to work at the Institut Scientifique Chérifien. He produced articles on

helminths Parasitic worms, also known as helminths, are large macroparasites; adults can generally be seen with the naked eye. Many are intestinal worms that are soil-transmitted and infect the gastrointestinal tract. Other parasitic worms such as schi ...

and a Catalog of Fishes from the Atlantic Coast of Morocco. Robert-Philippe Dollfus’s immense scientific collections are now in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

Eponymous taxa

A number of taxa, generally parasites, were named in his honour. Genera include the

digenea Digenea (Gr. ''Dis'' – double, ''Genos'' – race) is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic flatworms (known as ''flukes'') with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral and one oral. ...

n ''Dollfustrema'' Eckmann, 1934, the

cestode Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

''Dollfusiella'' Campbell & Beveridge, 1994, and the

Acanthocephala Acanthocephala (Greek , ', thorn + , ', head) is a phylum of parasitic worms known as acanthocephalans, thorny-headed worms, or spiny-headed worms, characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, armed with spines, which it uses to p ...

''Dollfusentis'' Golvan, 1969.Golvan, Y.J. (1969). Systematique des Acanthocephales (Acanthocephala Rudolphi, 1801), L'ordre des Palaeacanthocephala Meyer, 1931, La superfamille des Echinorhynchidea (Cobbold, 1876) Golvan et Houin 1973. Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 47:1-373. Species include the

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

'' Hassalstrongylus dollfusi'' (Díaz-Ungría, 1963) Durette-Desset, 1971. Durette-Desset, M.C. 1971. Essai de classification des nématodes héligmosomes. Correlations avec la paléobiogéographie des hôtes. Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (A)69:1–126.

Awards

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(1953)

Books

* Dollfus, R. P. (1942). Notes diverses sur les Tétrarhynques. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 41p. (Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - Nouvelle Série (1935-1950); 22 (5)). * Dollfus R. P. 1946. Parasites (animaux et végétaux) des Helminthes. Hyperparasites, ennemis et prédateurs des Helminthes parasites et des Helminthes libres. Essai de compilation méthodique. Encyclopédie Biologique, volume XXVII. Paul Lechevalier, Paris, 483 pages. * Dollfus, R. P. F. (1953). Aperçu général sur l'histoire naturelle des parasites animaux de la morue Atlanto-Arctique, ''Gadus callarias'' L. (''Morhua'' L.) (Vol. 43). Paul Lechevalier, Paris. * Dollfus, R. P. 1968. Les Trématodes de l’histoire naturelle des Helminthes de Félix Dujardin (1845). Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 77p. (Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sér. A – Zoologie (1950-1992); 54 (3)).

A few articles

A few articles are listed here, among more than 160 published by Robert-Philippe Dollfus. * * * * * *

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dollfus, Robert-Philippe 1887 births 1976 deaths French parasitologists 20th-century French zoologists French taxonomists Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur National Museum of Natural History (France) people Scientists from Paris