André Gernez (25 January 1923 – 8 January 2014) was a French

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 ...

Oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, and

Radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiati ...

.Décès du docteur André Gernez - Egalite et Réconciliation
His work has received criticism from other medical professionals as being unscientific, or

Alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and ...

.↑ P. Vigeral, « La scandaleuse “campagne de prévention de la dégénérescence cancéreuse et artérielle” », ''Prescrire'' 8, p. 188-192, 1988, cité par Olivier Jallut dans ''Médecines parallèles et cancers''. Gernez explained diseases, including cancer and

neurodegenerative A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

conditions, through a theory of

mitosis In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maint ...

and differentiation. He posited that only limited populations of cells within tissue are able to divide, comparing tissue to a colony of bees in which only the

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

is able to reproduce.

Biography

André Gernez was born in January of 1923 in Avesnes-les-Aubert. Gernez enlisted in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

at the age of 14 under special exemption, and was certified as a military doctor in 1944. At the time, he was the youngest doctor in France at the age of 21. Gernez established a radiology-radiotherapy practice, which he ran from 1968 to 1976. In 1989 Gernez co-founded an association, Organic Union International (OUI), in favor of

self-medication Self-medication is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological conditions: for example headaches or fatigue. The substances most widely used in sel ...

with doctors Jacques Lacaze and

Jean-Pierre Willem Jean-Pierre Willem, born 24 May 1938 at Sedan, France, is a doctor and founder of Médecins Aux Pieds Nus. He led numerous humanitarian missions to help victims of catastrophes and conflicts. Willem also was a doctor of medicine and president of ...

. He died aged 90 in 2014.

Beliefs and Criticism

In 1970, Gernez contested the belief first established by

Santiago Ramón y Cajal Santiago Ramón y Cajal (; 1 May 1852 – 17 October 1934) was a Spanish neuroscientist, pathologist, and histologist specializing in neuroanatomy and the central nervous system. He and Camillo Golgi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Me ...

that

neurogenesis Neurogenesis is the process by which nervous system cells, the neurons, are produced by neural stem cells (NSCs). It occurs in all species of animals except the porifera (sponges) and placozoans. Types of NSCs include neuroepithelial cells (NECs ...

ceases after birth, postulating that neurogenesis can continue after birth. Gernez's theory is not held to be true by the general scientific community, as supporting evidence only suggests that mitosis of neural cells does not continue after birth. In 1980, Gernez proposed a "biological need to believe," suggesting that religious belief is genetically fixed in the

limbic system The limbic system, also known as the paleomammalian cortex, is a set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus, immediately beneath the medial temporal lobe of the cerebrum primarily in the forebrain.Schacter, Daniel L. 2012. ' ...

. Although others have proposed similar theories, there is no empirical evidence suggesting that religion has a biological basis. Oncologist Olivier Jallut describes Gernez's preventative treatments as dangerous and unacceptable, and his curative methods as lacking in scientific legitimacy. Jallut cites earlier writings by Vigeral on the topic, who similarly described Gernez's work as having no scientific basis, with inadequate evaluation methods, and his practices as ineffective and potentially dangerous.

Awards

*1979:

Hans Adalbert Schweigart Hans Adalbert Schweigart (July 7, 1900 in Biberberg – December 12, 1972 in Hannover) was a German chemist and researcher in nutrition. He studied chemistry in Berlin and Munich. In 1935 he created the general term ''vital substances''. He w ...

medal from

World Union for Protection of Life The World Union for Protection of Life (German: ''Weltbund zum Schutz des Lebens'', French: ''Union Mondiale pour la Protection de la Vie'', Russian: Всемирный союз для защиты жизни) is an international non-profit organ ...

on 17 June in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

, Austria with

Konrad Lorenz Konrad Zacharias Lorenz (; 7 November 1903 – 27 February 1989) was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch. He is often rega ...

. *2007: November 19, gold medal of Societé d'Encouragement au Progrès (SEP) in

Senate 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 ...

at Paris, France.''

La Tribune du Progrès LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' n°34, Hiver/Printemps 2009

Bibliography and films

*''Prévention de la dégénérescence cancéreuse et artérielle'', André Gernez, (available in 2009). *''Le scandale du siècle'', tome 1 & 2, DVD André Gernez with the collaboration of

, produced by

Jean-Yves Bilien Jean-Yves is a French masculine given name. Notable persons with that name include: * Jean-Yves André (born 1977), Mauritian footballer * Jean-Yves Anis (born 1980), French footballer * Yves Jean-Bart (born 1947), Haitian football executive * Jean ...

, 2007. *''Les grands médicaments'', Henri Pradal et André Gernez, éd. Edition du Seuil, Paris (France), 1975. *''Néo-postulats biologiques et pathogéniques'', André Gernez, éd. La vie Claire, Mandres-les-roses (France), 1975, first published October 1968, 122 pages. *''Loi et règles de la cancérisation'', André Gernez, éd. Verschave, Roubaix (France), 1970, 168 pages. *''Le cancer, dynamique et éradication'', André Gernez, December 1969, 162 pages. *''La carcinogénèse, mécanisme et prévention'' (essai sur la dynamique des populations cellulaires), André Gernez, March 1969, 182 pages.

Notes and references

External links