Sigismond Jaccoud (20 November 1830 – 26 April 1913) was a Swiss

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. Sigismond Jaccoud was born in 1830 in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

, where he went to school and was educated in music and the science of literature. In 1849 he went to

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 ...

to study medicine – and supported himself in that city teaching music and literature. He became ''interne des hפpitaux'' in 1855. After graduation in 1859 he specialised in internal medicine and in 1860 defended his doctoral

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

, on the

pathogenesis Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...

albuminuria Albuminuria is a pathological condition wherein the protein albumin is abnormally present in the urine. It is a type of proteinuria. Albumin is a major plasma protein (normally circulating in the blood); in healthy people, only trace amounts of ...

. In 1862 he became ''medecin des hopitaux'', in 1863 ''professeur''. In 1877 he was appointed professor of internal

pathology 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 ...

at the

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

faculty and member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine. In 1898 he became president of the Academy. Jaccoud was a very famous and highly estimated lecturer at several of Paris' hospitals – L'Hôpital Saint-Antoine, l'Hôpital de la Charité,

l'Hôpital Lariboisière ''L'hôpital'' means "The Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hosp ...

and l'Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière. Following the death of Ernest-Charles Lasègue (1816–1883) in 1883, he was also made professor of internal medicine at the Pitié hospital in Paris. In 1883 he published a three-volume work on

, comprising almost 3.000 pages. In

rheumatology Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...

, and partly in

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

, Jaccoud was probably best known for his 23. Lecture, which has been perpetuated in medical history because of its description of Jaccoud's syndrome. At the turn of the 20th century rheumatic fever ravaged among children and youth, and the fact that there was, unlike today, no rational

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

available, interest concentrated on the natural course of the disease. As he published his lectures in book form, they are still available for study – covering an impressive variety of medical questions. On

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

, the greatest medical problem of the time, with its numerous complications, no less than ten lectures were needed. In his books he emphasised how he enjoyed thorough clinical examinations,

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 ...

, research and teaching. Jaccoud died in 1913, at the age of 83 years. Jaccoud published numerous articles in ''Dictionnaire de Médecine et de Chirurgie pratiques'' of which he was co-publisher.

Terms

* Jaccoud's arthropathy — a deformity of the fingers, causing them to deviate away from the thumb. * Jaccoud's dissociated fever — fever with slow and irregular pulse in tuberculous meningitis of adults. * Jaccoud's sign — prominence of the

aorta The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes o ...

in the suprasternal notch: an indication of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

References

Dorland's Medical Dictionary ''Dorland's'' is the brand name of a family of medical reference works (including dictionaries, spellers and word books, and spell-check software) in various media spanning printed books, CD-ROMs, and online content. The flagship products are ''Do ...

(1938)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaccoud, Sigismond Swiss pathologists 1830 births 1913 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery