Armand Frappier (November 26, 1904 – December 17, 1991) was a Canadian physician, microbiologist, and expert on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, the son of Arthur-Alexis Frappier and Bernadette Codebecq, his mother died in 1923 from tuberculosis. This greatly affected him and he pursued a career devoted to fighting this ''tueuse de maman'' (mother killer). In 1924, he received a Bachelor of Arts and, in 1930, he received a medical degree from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

. In 1933, he obtained a Bachelor of Science also from the Université de Montréal. In 1938, he founded the ''Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène de Montréal'' - following the model of the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...

in Paris and the Connaught Laboratories of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

(Malissard, 1998; 1999a, 1999b, 2000)- the first French-language school of hygiene in the world, and served as its director for 38 years. It was renamed ''Institut Armand-Frappier'' in 1975. He was instrumental in the fight against tuberculosis in Canada and as one of the first researchers to confirm the safety and usefulness of the

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis (TB). It is named after its inventors Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin. In countries where tuberculosis or leprosy is common, one dose is recom ...

vaccine. In 1929, he married Thérèse Ostiguy. They had four children: Lise, Monique, Michèle, and Paul.

Honours

* He was named Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

, upon the recommendation of the Canadian government. * In 1969, he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. * In 1985, he was made a Grand Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

. * In 1993, the Quebec government created the Prix Armand-Frappier in his honour, given every year to a scientist in recognition of his or her career. * He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

* On January 17, 2000,

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honoured him with a stamp entitled, ''Armand Frappier: Champion Disease Fighter''. * In 2012, he was inducted into the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, ...

References

* Malissard, P. (1998), « La longue controverse de la vaccination antituberculeuse au Canada : le Bacille Calmette Guérin (bcg), 1925-1975 », Canadian Bulletin of the History of Medicine/Bulletin canadien d'histoire de la médecine, vol. 15, p. 85-126. * Malissard, P. (1999a), « Les centres universitaires de production et de recherche en microbiologie au Canada ou savoir se rendre utile», Bulletin d'histoire politique, vol. 7, no 3, p. 40-50. * Malissard, P. (1999b), Quand les universitaires se font entrepreneurs. Les Laboratoires Connaught et l'Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène de l'Université de Montréal, 1914-1972, thèse de doctorat, Université du Québec à Montréal. * Malissard, P. (2000)
« Les "Start-Up" de jadis : la production de vaccins au Canada » Sociologie et sociétés, vol. 32, n° 1, p. 93-106.
* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frappier, Armand Canadian microbiologists Companions of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Academics from Quebec 1904 births 1991 deaths Université de Montréal alumni 20th-century Canadian biologists