Antoine Petit (23 July 1722 – 21 October 1794) was a French

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

, master of

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin Joseph-Ignace Guillotin ()(28 May 1738 – 26 March 1814) was a French physician, politician, and freemason who proposed on 10 October 1789 the use of a device to carry out executions in France, as a less painful method of execution than exist ...

and Félix Vicq d'Azyr.

Biography

Antoine Petit, born in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and 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 ...

where he received his doctorate in 1746. Soon he became a good teacher and lecturer in anatomy, surgery and

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...

. The accuracy of his diagnosis made him famous and he had a very busy practice, drawing people from every part of France, even from other parts of Europe. He was appointed anatomy professor at

Jardin du Roi The Jardin des Plantes (, ), also known as the Jardin des Plantes de Paris () when distinguished from other ''jardins des plantes'' in other cities, is the main botanical garden in France. Jardin des Plantes is the official name in the present da ...

from 1769 to 1778. In 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 ...

, he founded a chair of anatomy then a chair of surgery. The professors, engaged and appointed by the University, had to teach for ten years then made way for younger. He was a member of

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of 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 method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

and wrote several articles for the

Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during t ...

and

d'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert ( ; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanics, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''E ...

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

''. Antoine Petit amassed a significant wealth then, because he had no child, spent a part to found places that accord medical treatment. He spent more than 100,000 French livres to Orléans city: he appointed four physicians and two surgeons for free health care for sick people and those in every kind of need, in a house he built in this purpose. On market days, they took care of those from the country. In the same way, he appointed two

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

s and a

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...

who involved towards the poor. In Fontenay-aux-Roses, he donated a building to house the municipality medical officer. He died in Olivet, on 1794.

Bibliography

* Paris. 2 vol. in-12 * Antoine Petit (1757). Discours sur l'utilité de la chirurgie. Paris. in-4° * Antoine Petit (1765). Projet de réforme sur l'exercice de la médecine en France. Paris. in-4° * Antoine Petit (1765). Consultation en faveur de la légitimité des naissances tardives. Paris. in-8° * 2 vol. in-8° * Paris. in-8° * Paris. in-8° * Paris. 2 vol. in-8°

Notes

* A street bears his name in Fontenay-aux-Roses.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petit, Antoine 1722 births 1794 deaths 18th-century French physicians Members of the French Academy of Sciences Physicians from Orléans Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772) French male writers University of Paris alumni