Laurent-Théodore Biett (25 July 1781 – 3 March 1840) was a Swiss-born

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medi ...

from

Schams image:Schams Andeer.jpg, thumb , The Schams north of Andeer. In the top left, the ruins of Cagliatscha Castle The Schams () is a section of the Hinterrhein (river), Hinterrhein valley in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Graubünden. Geograp ...

in the canton of Graubünden. He is chiefly remembered for introducing into France an anatomical methodology of analyzing skin diseases; a system that was first developed by the British dermatologist

Robert Willan __NOTOC__ Robert Willan (12 November 1757 near Sedbergh, Yorkshire, England – 7 April 1812 in Madeira, Portugal) was an English physician, and the founder of dermatology as a medical specialty. Life Willan was born on 12 November 1757 in Sed ...

(1757–1812).

Biography

In 1786 he moved with his family to

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

. He received his initial medical education at the , relocating to

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 ...

in 1801, where he became a favourite student of Jean-Louis Alibert. When Alibert's work at the

Hôpital Saint-Louis Hôpital Saint-Louis () is a hospital in Paris, France. It was built in 1611 by architect Claude Vellefaux at the request of Henry IV of France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 a ...

was interrupted by royal obligations, Biett filled in for his teacher. From 1813 Biett was a doctor of medicine, later becoming chief medical officer at Hôpital Saint-Louis. Biett was not known for his published works, however two of his students,

Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave (5 May 1795 – 9 April 1877) was a French dermatologist who practiced medicine at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris. In 1823 he was appointed interne to the hospitals of Paris, and in 1835 became ''professor ag ...

and Henri Édouard Schedel, took assiduous notes of his lectures. In 1828 Cazenave and Schedel published ''Abregé pratique des maladies de la peau'', a work that was a compilation of Biett's teachings and was to become a major work in

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the Human skin, skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, ...

. Cazenave is credited for coining the term ''lupus erythemateaux'' (

lupus erythematosus is a collection of autoimmune diseases in which the human immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks healthy tissues. Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, ...

), derived from Biett's symptomatic descriptions of the disease. Biett was a member of the ''

Académie royale de Médecine An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

'', and in 1830 he was awarded the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

''.

Associated eponym

* Biett's collarette: a syphilitic symptom in which the center

papule A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the skin lesion, skin. It may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a umbilication, dip. It can appear with a Peduncle (anatomy), stalk, be thread-like or look warty. It can be soft or firm a ...

is encircled by a ring of scales.

References

External links

* * * * 1781 births 1840 deaths People from Maloja District Swiss Calvinist and Reformed Christians French dermatologists Swiss dermatologists {{Switzerland-med-bio-stub