Juste Arnold Netter (20 September 1855 – 1 March 1936) was a

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 ...

, hygienist,

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

, bacteriologist, and

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He received the gold medal of the AP-HP in 1882 and was a professor at the faculty of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. He is known for his work on

cerebrospinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasionally ...

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, pneumococcal infections,

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...

, and

shingles Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. T ...

. He was among the first to apply

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

clinical medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

Biography

Arnold Netter was born on 20 September 1855 in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. He was nephew of

Charles Netter Charles Netter (; 14 September 1826October 2, 1882), was a founding member of the Alliance Israélite Universelle. In 1870, Netter founded Mikveh Israel, the first modern Jewish agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel. Biography Charles N ...

and son of doctor Léon Netter. Married to Esther Jeanne Lang, daughter of manufacturer Benoît Baruch Lang (''Les Fils d'Emanuel Lang''), he was the father of doctor Henri Netter (1895–1946), lawyer Léon Netter (1897–1987), and Marthe Netter (1892–1940), wife of publisher René Lisbonne. He pursued a medical career, becoming an external at the Paris hospitals in 1875, intern in 1877, doctor of medicine in 1883, head of clinic in 1884, hospital physician in 1888, and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Paris in 1889. He served as head of the pediatrics department at Hôpital Trousseau from 1905 to 1920. He was elected member of the Superior Council of Public Health of France in 1898, and member of the

Academy of Medicine Academy of Medicine or Academy of Surgery may refer to: Asia Israel *Jerusalem Academy of Medicine Malaysia *Academy of Medicine of Malaysia Singapore *Academy of Medicine, Singapore Europe Austria * Josephinian Military Academy of Surgery * M ...

in 1904. He supported Captain

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a major political crisis in the Fre ...

and

Bernard Lazare Bernard Lazare (; 14 June 1865, Nîmes – 1 September 1903, Paris) was a French literary critic, political journalist, polemicist, and anarchist. He is known as the first Dreyfusard. Life He was born Lazare Marcus Manassé Bernard (he later s ...

. Close to

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. He was a conservative leader, primarily committed to ...

, he also played a major role in the training of early 20th-century medical professors such as

Robert Debré Robert Debré (7 December 1882 – 29 April 1978) was a French physician (pediatrician) at Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris. The largest pediatric hospital in Paris, the Robert-Debré Hospital - located in the North-East part of Paris ...

(memoir by

Michel Debré Michel Jean-Pierre Debré (; 15 January 1912 – 2 August 1996) was the first Prime Minister of the French Fifth Republic. He is considered the "father" of the current Constitution of France. He served under President Charles de Gaulle from 1959 ...

). After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was the first to characterize the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

in a communication to the

. Nephew of

, one of the founders of the

Alliance israélite universelle The Alliance israélite universelle (AIU; ; ) is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 with the purpose of safeguarding human rights for Jews around the world. It promotes the ideals of Jewish self-defense and self-suffi ...

(AIU), he joined the AIU early on and served on its Central Committee. He was a member, then vice-president, and acting president from 1915 to 1920, and was named president shortly before his death. On 1 March 1936, he experienced a malaise at the end of his presentation on "fixed abscess" during the 20th of medical assizes at the Hôtel Dieu. He was taken to his home on Boulevard Saint-Germain, where he passed away.

Honors and distinctions

An avenue in the 12th arrondissement of Paris as well as hospital services bear his name. In Strasbourg, his hometown, a rue du Docteur-Netter connects rue du Docteur-Schaffner to rue René-Laënnec in a recent district at Montagne Verte.“A name, a street: Juste Arnold Netter, a great physician from Paris”, '' Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace'', 14 February 2008 He was named knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1892, officer in 1912, commander in 1921, and grand officer in 1928.

Biography

Honors and distinctions

References

See also

Bibliography