André Chantemesse (23 October 1851 – 25 February 1919) was a French

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology— a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

born in

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, ; , before 1988: ''Le Puy'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Loire Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of south-central France. Located near the rive ...

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Canta ...

. From 1880 to 1885 he served as ''interne des hôpitaux'' in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, earning his doctorate in 1884 with a dissertation on adult tuberculous meningitis titled ''Étude sur la méningite tuberculeuse de l'adulte : les formes anormales en particulier''. In 1885 he traveled to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

to study bacteriology at the laboratory of

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( ; ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax, he i ...

(1843–1910). After his return to Paris, he became associated with the work of

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, Fermentation, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the la ...

. In 1886, he began extensive research of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. In collaboration with Georges-Fernand Widal (1862–1929), he studied the aetiology of the disease, and in 1888 developed an experimental antityphoid

inoculation Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or other microbe or virus into a person or other organism. It is a method of artificially inducing immunity against various infectious diseases. The term "inoculation" is also used more generally ...

. Also with Widal, he isolated the

bacillus ''Bacillus'', from Latin "bacillus", meaning "little staff, wand", is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum ''Bacillota'', with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-sh ...

that was the cause of

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

, however the two scientists were unable to establish the aetiological link to the disease.''Georges Fernand Isidore Widal''
@ Who Named It From 1897 to 1903 he was a professor of comparative and experimental

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. 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 the context of modern medical treatme ...

in Paris, becoming a member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine in 1901. In 1904 he became a member of the editorial board of ''Annales de l'

Institut Pasteur The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. T ...

''. His likeness, together with the rest of the Paris Faculty of Medicine, was included in a 1904 painting by Adrien Barrère. The image was intended to be satirical and the assembled professors give the impression of family butchers.

Selected works

* ''De l’immunité contre le virus de la fièvre typhoïde conférée par des substances solubles''. (with Georges-Fernand Widal; Annales de l’Institut Pasteur, Paris, 1888, 2: 54–59. experimental antityphoid inoculation). * ''Sur les microbes de la dysentérie épidémique''. Bulletin de l’Académie de médecine, Paris, 1888, 19: 522–529. * ''Bibliothèque de la Tuberculose''. 1910, a collection of monographs devoted to

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, with Antonin Poncet & Frédéric Justin Collet.

References

External links

Portail Institut Pasteur
(chronological biography). 1851 births 1919 deaths People from Le Puy-en-Velay French microbiologists University of Paris alumni Academic staff of the University of Paris {{France-biologist-stub Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in France

Selected works

See also

References

External links