Victor André Cornil, also André-Victor Cornil (17 June 1837 – 13 April 1908) 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 ...

, histologist and politician born in Cusset, Allier.

Biography

He studied medicine 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. ...

, earning his doctorate in 1864. In 1869 he became '' professeur agrègé'' to the Paris faculty, and in 1884 a 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 Baron Antoine Portal (January ...

. Cornil was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1902. Cornil specialized in

pathological anatomy Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or Anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination o ...

, and made important contributions in the fields of

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classific ...

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vi ...

and microscopic anatomy. In 1863 Cornil demonstrated histological evidence that supported

Guillaume Duchenne Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne) (September 17, 1806 in Boulogne-sur-Mer – September 15, 1875 in Paris) was a French neurologist who revived Galvani's research and greatly advanced the science of electrophysiology. The era of m ...

's hypothesis regarding the cause of

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

. With Austrian anatomist Richard Heschl (1824-1881) and Rudolph Jürgens of

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, he was among the first to use

methyl violet Methyl violet is a family of organic compounds that are mainly used as dyes. Depending on the number of attached methyl groups, the color of the dye can be altered. Its main use is as a purple dye for textiles and to give deep violet colors in pai ...

as an histological stain for detection of

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of 7–13 nm in diameter, a beta sheet (β-sheet) secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the hu ...

. In 1864 he was the first physician to describe chronic childhood

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...

, a disorder that would later become known as Still's disease (named after English physician George Frederic Still 1868–1941). In 1865, with Louis-Antoine Ranvier (1835-1922), he founded a private laboratory. Here Cornil taught pathological anatomy and Ranvier gave classes in standard anatomy. With Victor Babeş (1854-1926), he wrote an important paper on

bacterial infection Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and are often beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number of th ...

s titled ''Les bactéries et leur rôle dans l’anatomie et l’histologie pathologiques des maladies infectieuses'',Petri dish (www.whonamedit.com)
at whonamedit.com and with Ranvier, he published an influential manual of

histopathology Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ''histos'' "tissue", πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", and -λογία '' -logia'' "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Sp ...

called ''Manuel d'histologie pathologique''. He was elected to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon ...

in 1876, serving until 1882. In 1885 Cornil was elected a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

and served until 1903.

Selected written works

* ''Contribution à l'histoire du développement histologique des tumeurs épithéliales'' (1866). * ''De la phtisie pulmonaire, étude anatomique, pathologique et clinique'' (Paris, 1867). * ''Du cancer et de ses caractères anatomiques'' (1867). * ''Manuel d'histologie pathologique'' (1869-76 with Louis-Antoine Ranvier, second edition 1881). * ''Leçons élémentaires d'hygiène'' (1872). * ''Leçons sur la syphilis, faites à l'hôpital de la Lourcine'' (1879). * ''Les bactéries et leur rôle dans l'anatomie et l'histologie pathologique des maladies infectieuses'' (with Victor Babeş). * ''Études sur la pathologie du rein'' (with Albert Brault).

Notes

References

Pagel: Biographisches Lexikon
(bibliography)
Biography of Cornil on the website of the French Parliament
(French)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornil, Victor Andre 1837 births 1908 deaths People from Cusset Politicians from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Republican Union (France) politicians Members of the 1st Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 2nd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Senators of the Third Republic Senators of Allier French pathologists French histologists University of Paris faculty Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Biography

Selected written works

See also

Notes

References

External links