Jacques-Joseph Grancher (; 29 September 1843 in Felletin,

Creuse Creuse (; or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the east, Cor ...

– 13 July 1907) was a French

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 ...

born in Felletin. In 1862 he began his medical studies 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 ...

, where he worked as an assistant at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades (under Eugène Bouchut), the Hôpital de la Charité, the Hôpital de la Pitié and Lariboisière Hospital (under

Paul Jules Tillaux Paul Jules Tillaux (8 December 1834 – 20 October 1904) was a French physician who was a native of Aunay-sur-Odon, département Calvados (department), Calvados. Tillaux was a surgeon and professor of surgery in Paris, and in 1879 became a membe ...

). He learned

histological Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

techniques with Louis-Antoine Ranvier and Victor André Cornil in their private laboratory on ''Rue Christine'', and for several years served as director of a

pathological 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 ...

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

laboratory in

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urban ...

(1868–1878). From 1885 until his death in 1907, he was director of Hôpital des Enfants Malades. In 1900 he was elected vice-chairman of the board of directors at 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 ...

. Grancher is remembered for his research of

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 ...

. He was a pioneer in the creation of safeguards for the prevention of childhood tuberculosis, and was an advocate of isolation and

antisepsis An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abili ...

in the fight against the disease. In 1897 with Jules Comby (1853–1947) and Antoine Marfan (1858–1942), he published "''Traité des maladies de l’enfance''" (Treatise of the Diseases of Childhood). In 1885, Grancher and Alfred Vulpian (1826–1887) were instrumental in convincing

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, Fermentation, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the la ...

(1822–1895) to perform the first successful

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

against

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

on Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old boy who had been mauled by a rabid dog. In 1887 at the request of Pasteur, Grancher defended the rabies vaccination to the

Académie de Médecine An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, citing its successful survival rate.

References

External links

Portail Institut Pasteur
(chronological biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Grancher, Jacques-Joseph 1843 births 1907 deaths People from Creuse French pediatricians Burials at Montmartre Cemetery