Eugène-Louis Doyen (16 December 1859 – 21 November 1916) was a French

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

born in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. He was the son of Octave Doyen (1831–1895), who served as mayor of Reims. Eugène Doyen studied medicine in Reims and

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 ...

, and later opened a private medical institute in Paris that attracted a wealthy clientele. Doyen was a skilled and innovative physician who introduced several surgical techniques and medical instruments, some of which bear his name today. He was a pioneer in the use of

electrosurgery Electrosurgery is the application of a high-frequency (radio frequency) alternating polarity, electrical current to biological tissue as a means to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue.Hainer BL, "Fundamentals of electrosurgery", '' ...

and

electrocoagulation Electrocoagulation (EC) is a technique used for wastewater treatment, wash water treatment, industrially processed water, and medical treatment. Electrocoagulation has become a rapidly growing area of wastewater treatment due to its ability to remo ...

, and also marketed a

yeast extract Yeast extracts consist of the cell contents of yeast without the cell walls; they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture Growing media, media. They are often used to create savoury flavors and umami tast ...

he called "mycolysine" for treatment of infectious diseases. He had a keen interest in

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

and

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

, and performed early experiments of color film, microcinematography and

stereoscopic Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...

film. He produced numerous films of operations, including a

craniectomy Decompressive craniectomy ('' crani-'' + '' -ectomy'') is a neurosurgical procedure in which part of the skull is removed to allow a swelling or herniating brain room to expand without being squeezed. It is performed on victims of traumatic b ...

, an abdominal

hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus and cervix. Supracervical hysterectomy refers to removal of the uterus while the cervix is spared. These procedures may also involve removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy), fallopian tubes ( salpi ...

, and a surgery for separation of

conjoined twins Conjoined twins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins, are twins joined '' in utero''. It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between one in 50,000 births to one in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in south ...

Radhika and Dudhika Nayak, united in the area of the

xiphoid process The xiphoid process (), also referred to as the ensiform process, xiphisternum, or metasternum, constitutes a small cartilaginous process (extension) located in the inferior segment of the sternum, typically ossified in adult humans. Both the Gr ...

of the

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

. Although his films were popular at medical conferences abroad, they were harshly criticized by his contemporaries in France, who felt that the integrity of their profession had been compromised. For a period of time, Doyen was editor-in-chief of the ''Revue Critique de Médecine et de Chirurgie'', as well as the ''Archives de Doyen'', a medico-surgical journal of the Doyen Institute.

Selected written works

* ''Atlas de microbiologie'', 1897 - Atlas of

microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

. * ''Etiologie et traitement du cancer'', 1904 – Etiology and treatment of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. * ''Le Traitement des infections staphylococciques'', 1906 – Treatment of

staphylococcal infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

. * ''Traité de thérapeutique chirurgicale et de technique opératoire'', 1908 – Treatise on therapeutic surgery and operative techniques. * ''Atlas d'anatomie topographique'', 1911 – Atlas of topographic anatomy. * "Surgical therapeutics and operative technique". (published in English, in collaboration with H. Spencer-Browne), New York, William Wood, 1917–20. ** Volume 1. Introduction, general surgical technique, regional surgery head. ** Volume 2. Regional surgery (continued), operations on the head (continued), thorax, upper and lower limbs. ** Volume 3. Regional surgery (continued), operations on the abdomen.WorldCat Title
Surgical therapeutics and operative technique

Personal life and legacy

Despite his surgical prowess, Doyen believed that surgery would eventually become obsolete due to advancements in medicine. He declined an offer from Louis Pasteur to join the Institut Pasteur under the condition that he cease patient treatment, choosing instead to continue his clinical practice. Doyen's work extended beyond medicine; during World War I, he designed a mobile mortar that influenced modern artillery design. His controversial public persona often drew attention, as he engaged with high society and made provocative statements about medical practices.

References

External links

The Scandalous Dr. Doyen, or the Solitary Tragedy of a Prodigy, (biography)

French medical writers French surgeons People from Reims 1859 births 1916 deaths {{France-med-bio-stub