Paul Ferdinand Segond (8 May 1851 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

– 27 October 1912 in Paris) was a French surgeon who was a founder of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surg ...

and the teaching of

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined a ...

in Paris. He was also an expert on the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the human leg, leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest join ...

and described the eponymous

Segond fracture The Segond fracture is a type of avulsion fracture ( soft tissue structures pulling off fragments of their bony attachment) from the lateral tibial plateau of the knee, immediately below the articular surface of the tibia (see photo). Clinic ...

Biography

Paul Segond was born in Paris, the son of anatomist Louis-Auguste Segond (1819–1908). He studied medicine in Paris, becoming an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...

in 1875, having already published a letter on "weight of newborns" in the ''Annales de gynécologie''. He became

prosector A prosector is a person with the special task of preparing a dissection for demonstration, usually in medical schools or hospitals. Many important anatomists began their careers as prosectors working for lecturers and demonstrators in anatomy and ...

at the Faculté de médecine de Paris of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

in 1878. He qualified docteur en médecine in 1880, with his thesis on ''Abcès chauds de la prostate et le phlegmon périprostatique'' (hot abscesses of the

prostate The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and phys ...

and periprostatic

phlegmon A phlegmon is a localized area of acute inflammation of the soft tissues. It is a descriptive term which may be used for inflammation related to a bacterial infection or non-infectious causes (e.g. pancreatitis). Most commonly, it is used in co ...

) being honoured by the Société de Chirurgie and

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at th ...

. He became an associate

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

of surgery in 1883, and was made ''chef de clinique'' at

Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital (french: Hôpital universitaire la Pitié-Salpêtrière, ) is a teaching hospital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. Part of the and a teaching hospital of Sorbonne University. History The Salpêtri ...

alongside

Ulysse Trélat Ulysse Trélat (13 August 1828, Paris – 28 March 1890) was a French surgeon remembered for describing the Leser–Trélat sign. He was the son of an Army physician, also named Ulysse Trélat (1795–1879). He received his education f ...

later in the same year. In 1905, he succeeded Paul Jules Tillaux in the chair of surgery at the Faculté de médecine de Paris, a position which he held until his death. In 1909, he was elected as a member of the French

Académie Nationale de Médecine Situated at 16 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the Académie nationale de médecine (National Academy of Medicine) was created in 1820 by King Louis XVIII at the urging of baron Antoine Portal Baron Antoine Portal (January ...

Work

In the early part of his career, Segond's contributions concerned the

urinary system The urinary system, also known as the urinary tract or renal system, consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and the urethra. The purpose of the urinary system is to eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood volume and blood pressure, ...

with publications including his work on prostatic abscess. Subsequently, he turned his attention to gynaecological surgery, and in particular influenced by the work of

Jules-Émile Péan Jules-Émile Péan (29 November 1830 – 20 January 1898) was one of the great French surgeons of the 19th century. Péan was born in 1830 in Marboué, french department of Eure-et-Loir. He studied at the college of Chartres and then studied me ...

, he perfected the technique of hysterectomy by the vaginal approach; he also used this approach to remove cancers and perform myomectomies. Treatment of uterine or periuterine infection by vaginal hysterectomy became known as the Péan–Segond operation ( Opération de Péan-Segond ). Segond also published in other areas of surgery, and described his eponymous knee fracture in association with

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

injury in 1879.P. Segond. Recherches cliniques et expérimentales sur les épanchements sanguins du genou par entorse. (Clinical and experimental research of haemarthrosis in knee sprain). ''Bureaux du progrès médical'', 1879.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Segond, Paul 1851 births 1912 deaths French surgeons French gynaecologists Physicians from Paris Officiers of the Légion d'honneur