Guillaume Dupuytren

Guillaume Dupuytren, Baron (October 5, 1777 – February 8, 1835) was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for Dupuytren's contracture which is named after him and which he described in 1831. Guillaume Dupuytren was born in the town of Pierre-Buffière in the department of Haute-Vienne. He studied medicine in Paris at the newly established École ... more

Guillaume Dupuytren, Baron (October 5, 1777 – February 8, 1835) was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for Dupuytren's contracture which is named after him and which he described in 1831. Guillaume Dupuytren was born in the town of Pierre-Buffière in the department of Haute-Vienne. He studied medicine in Paris at the newly established École de Médecine and was appointed, by competition, prosector when only eighteen years of age. His early studies were directed chiefly to anatomical pathology. In 1803 he was appointed assistant surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu and in 1811 he became professor of operative surgery in succession to Raphael Bienvenu Sabatier. In 1816 he was appointed to the chair of clinical surgery and became head surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu. He held this post until his death. He visited the Hôtel-Dieu morning and evening, performing at each time several operations, lectured... less