Louis Lépecq De La Clôture
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Louis Lépecq de La Clôture (12 July 1736 – 5 November 1804) was a French surgeon and
epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...
. His work consisted mainly of a 15-year observation of the relations between climate, geography and pathologies in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
.


Biography

Son of Louis Lépecq de La Clôture (1706–1742), doctor-regent and professor of surgery at the Faculty of Medicine in Caen and Madeleine Pyron, he was born in
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
in
Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...
. He began his medical studies in Caen where, in 1755, he obtained his medical degree. After a stay in Paris where he worked at the
Hôpital de la Charité Hôpital de la Charité (, "Charity Hospital") was a hospital in Paris founded by the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God in the 17th century. In 1935, it was closed and demolished to make way for the new faculty of medicine. Located at 45, ...
, notably under the direction of
Théophile de Bordeu Théophile de Bordeu (22 February 1722 – 23 November 1776) was a French physician. Bordeu was an early advocate of vitalism, especially the Montpellier vitalism. His pupils included Louis Lépecq de La Clôture. Works and publications *1754 ...
who taught him to "replace words with facts" he returned to Caen (1763) as an '' agrégé'' at the Faculty and Professor of Surgery. In 1769, he went to Rouen, where he was agrégé at the College of Physicians then appointed doctor of the Hôtel-Dieu de Rouen, then doctor of the Prisons and doctor of the ''
Généralité ''Recettes générales'', commonly known as ''généralités'' (), were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien Régime and are often considered to prefigure the current '' préfectures''. At the time of the French Revolution, ther ...
'' for epidemic diseases. He married Marie Claude Lebon there in 1780. He quickly abandoned surgery to devote himself to medicine and especially epidemiology. He began criss-crossing
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
to gather observations on the relationship between diseases and the environment. He first published in 1776 a rather classical work on observations of epidemic diseases, based on Hippocrates' table of epidemics, by Order of the Government and at the expense of the King. At the same time, he joined forces with all the doctors of Normandy and invited them to communicate to him the details relating to the medical topography of the places where they lived and criss-crossed Normandy for several years to collect the observations necessary for the drafting of a ''Collection of observations on diseases and epidemic constitutions'' (''Collection d'observations sur les maladies et constitutions épidémiques''), by Order of the Government and dedicated to the King. In 1782, he became president of the
Académie des sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Rouen The Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Rouen is a learned society created by letters patent of Louis XV of France, Louis XV on 17 June 1744. The Academy of Rouen got its early start with a few friends with a common appreciation for ...
then associate member of the Société royale de médecine de Paris. Recognised for his work, he was knighted by Louis XVI in 1785. But the King's reward almost became fatal to him for, if his successes had admirers, they also had envious ones. They took advantage of the disturbances of the revolution and had him imprisoned as a suspect during the Terror: he was held for a long time and was only released after cruel suffering. Disgusted with the city of Rouen, Lépecq withdrew in 1794 to Saint-Pierre-Azif, his family's homeland. Despite his fortune, he did not remain idle and devoted the rest of his life to medicine. He died in Saint-Pierre-Azif in 1804.


Works

Lépecq de la Clôture applied the teachings of his master
Théophile de Bordeu Théophile de Bordeu (22 February 1722 – 23 November 1776) was a French physician. Bordeu was an early advocate of vitalism, especially the Montpellier vitalism. His pupils included Louis Lépecq de La Clôture. Works and publications *1754 ...
, the leader of
vitalism Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...
in France. Following
Haller Haller is a surname of English language, English and German language, German origin. Notable people and characters with the surname include: * Albin Haller (1849–1925), French chemist * Albrecht von Haller (1708–1777), Swiss anatomist and physi ...
's work, they practised observation and experimentation. Although it is opposed to mechanism (
Democritus Democritus (, ; , ''Dēmókritos'', meaning "chosen of the people"; – ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from Abdera, Thrace, Abdera, primarily remembered today for his formulation of an ...
, Descartes,
Cabanis Cabanis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Cabanis (born 1950), French ice hockey player * George Cabanis (1815–1892), American politician * James Cabanis (1838–1920), American politician, son of George Cabanis *Jea ...
), vitalism ( Paul-Joseph Barthez) should not be confused with
animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...
(
Georg Ernst Stahl Georg Ernst Stahl (22 October 1659Stahl's date of birth is often given erroneously as 1660. The correct date is recorded in the parish register of St. John's church, Ansbach. See – 24 May 1734) was a German chemist, physician and philosopher. ...
): the animist does not simply subordinate matter to life, he submits matter to life and life to thought. On the contrary, vitalist philosophers consider intellectual activity to be fundamentally subordinate to life. At the time, the main merit of vitalism was to give back its meaning and originality to life, reduced to the extreme since Descartes and the mechanistic conception of life he imposed by assimilating organic life to an infinitely complicated automaton, but governed by the laws of inanimate matter. Barthez's theory will be taken up by
Xavier Bichat Marie François Xavier Bichat (; ; 14 November 1771 – 22 July 1802) was a French anatomist and pathologist, known as the father of modern histology. Although he worked without a microscope, Bichat distinguished 21 types of elementary tissues ...
, who roots vitalism in an authentic scientific approach. The book ''Collection d'observations sur les maladies et constitutions épidémiques'' is divided into four parts. *The first, which occupies the first volume, contains a general description of Normandy, considerations about its climate, its people, their morals and habits, and the most common diseases that affect this province.
Lépecq de la Clôture divided the entire province by region, according to the deposit of the mountains, the course of the rivers, the exposure, the elevation or the depression of the places. He described the character of the early Normans in comparison with the mores and customs of their descendants; the most general endemic diseases and those peculiar to each canton. He gave a brief account of the natural products found there, the nature of the common or mineral waters that flowed there, and the long series of epidemic diseases that were observed there.
He made a description of the cantons of Rouen and Caen and obtained from his collaborators those of the canton of Évreux. He provided three life tables (Rouen,
Lisieux Lisieux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pa ...
and
Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. History Antiquity In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century AD, was named '' Mediolanum Aulercorum'', "the central town ...
over 40 years) and made comparisons and reconciliations. *The second part includes meteorological observations collected in Caen and Rouen during fifteen consecutive years. *The third part presents the major constitutions of popular diseases in Caen from 1763 to 1768; *The last part presents the diseases that reigned in the climate of Rouen from 1768 to 1777, and describes the various epidemics that occurred in
Upper Normandy Upper Normandy (, ; ) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Upper and Lower Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. History It was created in 1956 from two departments: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Norm ...
.
The medical topography of the city of Rouen and that of the country of Caen are particularly noteworthy in this context. In 1783, he established with precision the health consequences of the eruption of the Laki volcano on the population of Rouen with, in particular, a resurgence of "acute
scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...
" and
intermittent fever Intermittent fever is a type or pattern of fever in which there is an interval where temperature is elevated for several hours followed by an interval when temperature drops back to normal. This type of fever usually occurs during the course of a ...
s.


Legacy

''Rue Lepecq de la Clôture'' is named after him in Rouen, in the Gare-Jouvenet district ().


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lepecq de La Cloture, Louis French surgeons French epidemiologists 18th-century French physicians University of Caen Normandy alumni Physicians from Caen 1736 births 1804 deaths