Louis Léopold Ollier

Louis Léopold Ollier, full name Louis Xavier Édouard Léopold Ollier (December 2, 1830 - November 26, 1900) was a French surgeon whose father and grandfather were also physicians. In 1857 he earned his medical degree from the University of Paris. In 1860 he became chief-surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu in Lyon, and in 1877 he became a professor of clinical surgery.

Ollier is famous for his work in orthopedic and reconstructive surgery. During the Franco-Prussian War he was celebrated for his techniques regarding bone-resections, and he performed studies concerning the regeneration of bone by the periosteum following resection. He also devised a form of surgery known as astragalectomy, which involves operation of the talus bone.

Ollier was a pioneer concerning skin and bone grafting. In 1872 he created a split-thickness skin graft which was later improved by Karl Thiersch (1822-1895). Also, the cambium layer (inner layer of the periosteum) is sometimes referred to as "Ollier's layer". This is the layer of tissue where osteoblasts reside. Another name for the bone disorder multiple enchondromatosis is often called Ollier's disease. In 1894 Ollier was given the award of commander of the Légion d'Honneur by French president Marie-François-Sadi Carnot.

References

* [http://www.maitrise-orthop.com/corpusmaitri/orthopaedic/ollier_synth/ollie_us.shtml Louis Léopold Ollier "The Father of Bone and Joint and of Reconstructive Surgery"]