Émile Charles Achard (24 July 1860 – 7 August 1944) was a French

internist Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of th ...

born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In Paris, he served as ''médecin des hôpitaux'' (from 1893), later becoming a professor of general

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

and

therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

. In 1910, he was appointed professor of

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

( Hôpital Beaujon). During his career, he also served as a physician at

Hôpital Cochin The Hôpital Cochin () is a hospital of public assistance in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Jacques Paris 14e. It houses the central burn treatment centre of the city. The Hôpital Cochin is a section of the Faculté de Médecine Paris-Cité. It commem ...

Portrait of Emile Charles Achard Wellcome M0016644

In 1895, he along with E. Phulpin wrote one of the earliest studies on post-mortem microbial analysis based on forensic biology. In 1896, along with Raoul Bensaude (1866–1938), he identified a disease he called

paratyphoid fever Paratyphoid fever, also known simply as paratyphoid, is a bacterial infection caused by one of three types of '' Salmonella enterica''. Symptoms usually begin 6–30 days after exposure and are the same as those of typhoid fever. Often, a gradu ...

. They were able to isolate the cause of illness to a microbe now classified as '' salmonella paratyphi B''. A

postmenopausal Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time when menstrual periods permanently stop, marking the end of the reproductive stage for the female human. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, although the exact timing can ...

condition known as "diabetic-bearded woman syndrome" is sometimes referred to as " Achard-Thiers syndrome", and the eponymous " Achard syndrome" is a disorder characterized by

arachnodactyly Arachnodactyly ("spider fingers") is a medical condition that is characterized by fingers and toes that are abnormally long and slender, in comparison to the palm of the hand and arch of the foot. In some cases, the thumbs of an individual with the ...

brachycephaly Brachycephaly (derived from the Ancient Greek '' βραχύς'', 'short' and '' κεφαλή'', 'head') is the shape of a skull shorter than average in its species. It is perceived as a cosmetically desirable trait in some domesticated dog and ...

, a receding

lower jaw In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

and joint laxity in the extremities.Achard's syndrome
@ Who Named It. In 1897, along with

Joseph Castaigne (1871–1951), he developed a urinary test using

methylene blue Methylthioninium chloride, commonly called methylene blue, is a salt used as a dye and as a medication. As a medication, it is mainly used to treat methemoglobinemia. It has previously been used for treating cyanide poisoning and urinary trac ...

dye for examining the excretory function of the

kidneys In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and right in the retro ...

. The procedure was to become known as the "Achard-Castaigne test". With Castaigne and Georges Maurice Debove (1845–1920), he published ''Manuel des maladies du tube digestif''.

References

''Emile Achard''
@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achard, Emile 1860 births 1944 deaths Scientists from Paris Academic staff of the University of Paris Members of the French Academy of Sciences French pathologists French internists