Victor Gautier (1824–1890) was a Swiss physician. He served as President of the Medical Society of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Early life and education

Horace Charles Victor Gautier was born at Geneva in 1824. He began his medical studies at

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in 1841. Two years later, he went to

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, where, after working under

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and other distinguished teachers of the day, he took his Doctor's degree in 1850, the subject of his inaugural thesis being ''Erectile Tumours of the Skin''.

Career

He soon afterwards returned to Geneva, where he practised every branch of medicine with equal success. He was at once one of the most trusted consultants in obscure medical cases, a surgeon of repute, and a recognised authority on

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

. His personal predilections were, however, for the last named department of practice. He was for many years medical director of the

Plainpalais Plainpalais is a neighbourhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and a former Municipalities of the canton of Geneva, municipality of the Canton of Geneva. It is mentioned in Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein''. Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges' ashes are ...

Infirmary for Women and Children, and lectured for some time on diseases of women in the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

. He was President of the Medical Society of Geneva in 1858, and of the Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the International Medical Congress held in that city in 1877. He was also a vice-president of the Congress of Hygiene in 1882. He was also elected as a Corresponding Member of the Surgical Society of Paris and of the Obstetrical Society of

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. Gautier was considered to be a precursor of Sir

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of aseptic, antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the Sur ...

in the field of surgical antiseptics. In 1867, Gautier published a paper entitled "De la Cause Principale et de la Prophylaxie des Accidents consécutifs aux Opérations Chirurgicales", in which he insisted on the importance of the most scrupulous cleanliness in operations. "The sponges" (to quote his own words), "the appliances for dressings, the basins, must be washed and disinfected every time they have been used. Before the operation, the surgeon and each of his assistants should wash their hands with chlorinated water, soap, and a brush". Gautier contributed largely to medical literature, his most important publications, besides those already mentioned, being papers on Retropharyngeal abscess, Rheumatism of the Uterus, Desquamation of the Tongue, Precocious Menstruation, and Puerperal Tetanus.

Personal life

His wife served as president of the Ligue de femmes Suisses contre l'alcoolisme. Victor Gautier died at Geneva on January 11, 1890, at the age of 66, of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

and

nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation ...

following

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gautier, Victor 1824 births 1890 deaths Physicians from Geneva 19th-century Swiss physicians Academic staff of the University of Geneva