Étienne Lancereaux (November 27, 1829 – October 26, 1910) was a French physician born in

Brécy-Brières Brécy-Brières () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department *List of medieval bridges in France A list is a set of discrete items of information collected ...

. He is remembered for pioneer contributions made in the understanding of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. He studied medicine in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

and

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 ...

, receiving his medical doctorate in 1862. From 1869 he served as ''médecin des hôpitaux'', working in various hospitals in Paris. In 1872 he earned his

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

, and later in his career, he was appointed president of the ''

Académie Nationale de Médecine Situated at 16 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the Académie nationale de médecine (National Academy of Medicine) was created in 1820 by King Louis XVIII at the urging of baron Antoine Portal. At its inception, the institu ...

''.Diabetologia
(biography) His best known student was

Nicolae Paulescu Nicolae Constantin Paulescu (; 30 October 1869 (O.S.) – 17 July 1931) was a Romanians, Romanian physiologist, professor of medicine, and politician, most famous for his work on diabetes, including patenting ''pancreine'' (a pancreatic extract ...

(1869–1931), the discoverer of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

. Through clinical-pathological research, Lancereaux believed that the cause of

diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or th ...

was located in the

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

. In 1877 he published a paper in which he coined the term ''diabète pancréatique'' (pancreatic diabetes). His ideas in regards to diabetes were later confirmed through experimentation by

Oskar Minkowski Oskar Minkowski (; 13 January 1858 – 18 July 1931) was a German physician and physiologist who held a professorship at the University of Breslau and is most famous for his research on diabetes. He was the brother of the mathematician Hermann ...

(1858–1931) and Josef von Mering (1849–1908). Lancereaux provided distinctions on the two primary forms of diabetes, which he referred to as ''diabetes maigre'' ("lean diabetes") and ''diabetes gras'' ("fat diabetes"). In addition to diabetes, he also made contributions in his research of

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

, infectious forms of

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or, less frequently, greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving ...

and the transmission of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

by water.

Associated eponym

* "Lancereaux's diabetes":

Diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or th ...

with marked emaciation (

cachexia Cachexia () is a syndrome that happens when people have certain illnesses, causing muscle loss that cannot be fully reversed with improved nutrition. It is most common in diseases like cancer, Heart failure, congestive heart failure, chronic o ...

Selected publications

* ''Traité historique et pratique de la syphilis'', Paris 1866; translated into English and published as: "A treatise on syphilis, historical and practical" (1868–69). * ''Atlas d'anatomie pathologique'', 1871; Translation of atlas volume into English and published as: "Atlas of pathological anatomy" (1880). * ''Traité d'anatomie pathologique'' (3 volumes) Paris 1875–1889.Most widely held works by E Lancereaux
at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

Identities * ''Traité de l'herpétisme'', Paris 1883. * ''Traité des maladies du foie et du pancréas'', Paris 1899. * ''Alcoolisme'', Paris 1907. * ''Traité de la goutte'', Paris 1910.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancereaux, Etienne People from Ardennes (department) French diabetologists 1829 births 1910 deaths