Dominique Jean Larrey

Dominique Jean Larrey
Dominique Jean Larrey, portrait by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Born	8 July 1766(1766-07-08) Beaudéan (Hautes-Pyrénées)
Died	25 July 1842(1842-07-25) (aged 76) Lyon
Fields	surgeon

Dominique Jean Larrey (8 July 1766 – 25 July 1842) was a French surgeon in Napoleon's army and an important innovator in battlefield medicine.

Biography

Larrey was born in the little village of Beaudéan, in the Pyrenees to bourgeois parents, who later moved to Bordeaux. Larrey was orphaned at the age of 13. He was then raised by his uncle Alexis, who was chief surgeon in Toulouse. After serving a 6-year apprenticeship, he went to Paris to study under the great Desault, who was chief surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris. His studies were cut short by war.

Larrey was surgeon-in-chief of the Napoleonic armies from Italy in 1797 to Waterloo in 1815. During this time, he initiated the modern method of army surgery, field hospitals and the system of army ambulance corps. After seeing the speed with which the carriages of the French flying artillery maneuvered across the battlefields, Larrey adapted them as Flying Ambulances for rapid transport of the wounded and manned them with trained crews of drivers, corpsmen and litterbearers. Larrey also increased the mobility and improved the organization of field hospitals, effectively creating a forerunner of the modern MASH units. He established a rule for the triage of war casualties, treating the wounded according to the seriousness of their injuries and urgency of need for medical care, regardless of their rank or nationality. Soldiers of enemy armies, as well as those of the French and their allies, were treated.

Larrey was made a Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur on 12 May 1807. He was a favorite of the Emperor, who commented, 'If the army ever erects a monument to express its gratitude, it should do so in honor of Larrey', he was ennobled as a Baron on the field of Wagram in 1809. In 1811, Baron Larrey co-led the surgical team that performed a pre-anesthetic mastectomy on Frances Burney in Paris.^[1] Her detailed account of this operation gives insight into early 19th century doctor-patient relationships, and early surgical methods in the home of the patient.

At Waterloo in 1815 his courage under fire was noticed by the Duke of Wellington who ordered his soldiers not to fire in his direction so as to 'give the brave man time to gather up the wounded' and saluted 'the courage and devotion of an age that is no longer ours'. Larrey was taken prisoner by the Prussians and condemned to death. However, he was recognized by one of the German surgeons, who pleaded for his life. Perhaps partly because he had saved the life of Blücher's son when he was wounded and taken prisoner by the French, he was pardoned and taken back to France under escort. He devoted the remainder of his life to writing and a civilian medical career.

He died on July 25, 1842 in Lyon.

Often considered the first modern military surgeon, Larrey's writings are still regarded as valuable sources of surgical and medical knowledge and have been translated into all modern languages.

References

1. ^ June K. Burton, p.18-21

Detailed References

• Baker D, Cazalaà JB, Carli P (September 2005), "Resuscitation great. Larrey and Percy--a tale of two barons", Resuscitation 66 (3): 259–62, doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2005.03.009, PMID 15990216 
• Beasley AW (December 2000), "To study the healing art", The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery 70 (12): 892–7, doi:10.1046/j.1440-1622.2000.01989.x, PMID 11167578 
• Bissi A (October 1989), "[Not Available]" (in Italian), Kos (49): 38–47, PMID 11629939 
• Bodemer CW (July 1982), "Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, Napoleon's surgeon", Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons 67 (7): 18–21, PMID 10315971 
• Brewer LA (December 1986), "Baron Dominique Jean Larrey (1766-1842). Father of modern military surgery, innovater, humanist", The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 92 (6): 1096–8, PMID 3537533 
• Haddad FS (September 2004), "Baron Larrey: a role model to be emulated", Journal of the American College of Surgeons 199 (3): 519, doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2004.05.266, PMID 15325631 
• Burton, June K. (2001), Two "Better Halves" in the Worst of Times - Adrienne Noailles Lafayette (1759-1807) and Fanny Burney d’Arblay (1752-1840) as Medical and Surgical Patients under the First Empire (published January 26, 2001), pp. 18–21, http://www.clevelandmemory.org/Lafayette/documents/pdf/burton.pdf 
• Csillag I (February 1984), "Ferenc Eckstein and military surgery during the Napoleonic wars (Dominique-Jean Larrey)" (in Hungarian), Orvosi Hetilap 125 (8): 467–70, PMID 6366693 
• DIBLE JH (April 1959), "D. J. LARREY, A SURGEON OF THE REVOLUTION, CONSULATE, AND EMPIRE", Medical History 3 (2): 100–7, PMC 1034461, PMID 13643144, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1034461 
• DiGioia JM, Rocko JM, Swan KG (May 1983), "Baron Larrey. Modern military surgeon", The American Surgeon 49 (5): 226–30, PMID 6342487 
• Egeblad K (1979), "[Not Available]" (in Danish), Dansk Medicinhistorisk Årbog: 1979;132–59, PMID 11628370 
• Egeblad K (1978), "[Not Available]" (in Danish), Dansk Medicinhistorisk Årbog: 77–123, PMID 11627862 
• Fackler ML (March 1989), "Misinterpretations concerning Larrey's methods of wound treatment", Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics 168 (3): 280–2, PMID 2645668 
• Faria MA (September 1990), "Dominique-Jean Larrey: Napoleon's surgeon from Egypt to Waterloo", Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia 79 (9): 693–5, PMID 2212907 
• Feinsod, Moshe (2002), "The amputated leg--a tale of scientific curiosity--1792", Harefuah 141 (2): 210–2, 220, 2002 Feb, PMID 11905097 
• Feinsod, M (1998), "The surgeon and the Emperor--a humanitarian on the battlefield", Harefuah 135 (9): 340–3, 408, 1998 Nov 1, PMID 10911440 
• Feinsod, M; Aharon-Peretz, J (1994), "Baron Larrey's description of traumatic aphasia", Journal of the history of the neurosciences 3 (1): 45–52, 1994 Jan, doi:10.1080/09647049409525587, PMID 11618806 
• Ferrarelli, L (1954), "The physicians of the Emperor", Minerva chirurgica 9 (1): 32–5, 1954 Jan 15, PMID 13153977 
• Haas, L F (Feb 1994), "Dominique Jean Larrey (1766-1842)", Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry 57 (2): 133, 1994 Feb, doi:10.1136/jnnp.57.2.133, ISSN 0022-3050, PMC 1072437, PMID 8126493, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1072437 
• Burris, DG; Welling, DR; Rich, NM (2004), "Dominique Jean Larrey and the principles of humanity in warfare", Journal of the American College of Surgeons 198 (5): 831–5, doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2003.12.025, PMID 15110817 
• Hakulinen, E (1989), "The French revolution--a revolution even for health care", Lakartidningen 86 (28–29): 2535–7, 1989 Jul 12, PMID 2674570 
• HALL, D P (1959), "Our surgical heritage; Europe", Am. J. Surg. 98 (1): 130–1, 1959 Jul, PMID 13661525 
• Hau, T (1982), "The surgical practice of Dominique Jean Larrey", Surgery, gynecology & obstetrics 154 (1): 89–94, 1982 Jan, PMID 7031942 
• Hillemand, P; Gilbrin, E (1978), "Not Available", Histoire des sciences médicales 12 (3): 255–7, PMID 11627946 
• Jellinek, E H (2002), "An unlikely aphasiologist: D J Larrey (1766-1842)", Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 95 (7): 368–70, 2002 Jul, doi:10.1258/jrsm.95.7.368, PMC 1279946, PMID 12091516, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1279946 
• Jensen, J E (Jul 1981), "Napoleonic medicine", Maryland state medical journal 30 (7): 66–8, 1981 Jul, ISSN 0025-4363, PMID 7024659 
• Lefebvre, P; Cornet, A; Sicard, A (1990), "Not Available", Histoire des sciences médicales 24 (3–4): 259–63, PMID 11638332 
• Lefebvre, P; Cornet, A; Sicard, A (1995), "The transfer of Baron Larrey's ashes from the Père Lachaise cemetery to the Invalides (December 14–15, 1992)", Histoire des sciences médicales 29 (1): 23–7, PMID 11640449 
• Leonov, I T (1992), "D. J. Larrey and N. I. Pirogov (on the 225th anniversary of the birth of D. J. Larrey)", Vestn. Khir. Im. I. I. Grek. 149 (7–8): 117–9, PMID 1341349 
• Marchioni, Jean (2004), "Larrey, a legendary surgeon, a current work", La Revue du praticien 54 (3): 342–5, 2004 Feb 15, PMID 15134246 
• McIntyre, Neil (2002), "The Barons Larrey: Dominique Jean (1766-1842); Hippolyte (1808-1895)", Journal of medical biography 10 (3): 185, 2002 Aug, PMID 12114954 
• Mirskiĭ, M B (2007), "An outstanding field surgeon (devoted to th 240th anniversary of D. Larrey's birth", Voenno-meditsinskiĭ zhurnal 328 (1): 75–9, 2007 Jan, PMID 17436718 
• Moore, A R (1978), "Preanesthetic mastectomy: a patient's experience", Surgery 83 (2): 200–5, 1978 Feb, PMID 341385 
• Nau, Jean-Yves (2005), "I, Dominique Jean Larrey, baron and surgeon in chief of the Grand Army", Revue médicale suisse 1 (2): 186, 2005 Jan 12, PMID 15773223 
• O'Sullivan, S T; O'Shaughnessy, M; O'Connor, T P (1995), "Baron Larrey and cold injury during the campaigns of Napoleon", Annals of plastic surgery 34 (4): 446–9, 1995 Apr, doi:10.1097/00000637-199504000-00020, PMID 7793796 
• Pai-Dhungat, J V; Parikh, Falguni (2006), "Medical philaely (Medical theme on stamps). Dominique J. Larrey (1766-1842). Northern France Ambulance, 1918 stamp, Grenada-1970", The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 54: 811, 2006 Oct, PMID 17214278 
• Quijano-Pitman, F (1997), "Surgical drainage with rubber tubes and Baron Larrey's mobile ambulances introduced by Dr. Ignacio Gama", Gaceta médica de México 133 (3): 249, PMID 9303873 
• Richardson, R G (1977), "Larrey - what manner of man?", Proc. R. Soc. Med. 70 (7): 490–4, 1977 Jul, PMC 1543132, PMID 331340, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1543132 
• Rich, Norman M; Burris, David G; Welling, David R; Rignault, Daniel P (2006), "The Larrey legacy: two hundred years on", Current Surgery 63 (2): 119–21, doi:10.1016/j.cursur.2005.12.008, PMID 16520113 
• Rüttimann, B (1979), "Larrey's amputation technic", Gesnerus 36 (1–2): 140–55, PMID 381112 
• Skandalakis, Panagiotis N; Lainas, Panagiotis; Zoras, Odyseas; Skandalakis, John E; Mirilas, P (2006), ""To afford the wounded speedy assistance": Dominique Jean Larrey and Napoleon", World Journal of Surgery 30 (8): 1392–9, 2006 Aug, doi:10.1007/s00268-005-0436-8, PMID 16850154 
• Soubiran, A (1966), "Larrey. The providence of soldiers (1766-1842)", La Presse médicale 74 (34): 1785–6, PMID 5328565 
• Stembrowicz, W (1995), "Dominique Jean Larrey (1766-1842) the author of the work: On wounds of the pericardial sac and heart", Archiwum historii i filozofii medycyny / Polskii Towarzystwo Historii Medycyny i Farmacji 58 (3): 311–28, PMID 11624807 
• James J. Walsh, "Dominique-Jean Larrey", Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09007a.htm 
• Wangensteen, S D; Wangensteen, O H (1971), "Successful pre-Listerian antiseptic management of compound fracture: Crowther (1802), Larrey (1824), and Bennion (ca. 1840)", Surgery 69 (6): 811–24, 1971 Jun, PMID 4931133 
• Welling, David R; Burris, David G; Rich, Norman M (2006), "Delayed recognition -- Larrey and Les Invalides", Journal of the American College of Surgeons 202 (2): 373–6, 2006 Feb, doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2005.08.024, PMID 16427565 
• Wilson, T (1997), "The ambulance - Larrey's legacy", Scalpel & tongs : American journal of medical philately 41: 82–3, PMID 11619525 
• Wybieralski, A (1966), "Dominique Jean Larrey (1766-1842) On the 200 anniversary of his birth", Archiwum historii medycyny 29 (3): 313–20, PMID 5335562 
• Zimmerman, L M (1968), "Humanity and compassion in medicine (Ambroise Paré, Baron Dominique-Jean Larrey)", The Chicago Medical School quarterly 27 (4): 233–4, PMID 4913343 
• "The immediate care of the eyes in Napoleonic France", Anaesthesia 31 (3): 439, 1976, 1976 Apr, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2044.1976.tb12341.x, PMID 776029 

External links

• The Revolutionary Flying Ambulance of Napoleon's Surgeon
• In Larrey's shadow: transport of British sick and wounded in the Napoleonic wars.
• Larrey, D. J. Memoirs of Military Surgery and Campaigns of the French Armies, Classics of Surgery Library, 1985, reprint of Joseph Cushing, 1814

Persondata
Name	Larrey, Dominique Jean
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	8 July 1766
Place of birth	Beaudéan (Hautes-Pyrénées)
Date of death	25 July 1842
Place of death	Lyon