Baron Guilluame Dupuytren was a French anatomist and surgeon who practiced during the 1800s and is considered by some to be the most brilliant and gifted surgeons of his time. His contributions to the field of surgery are quite extensive, yet his eccentric personality and attitude toward his colleagues, students, and patients raises a very interesting question: could Dr. Dupuytren (Fig. 1) and his many contributions to the field of surgery have thrived in today’s era of professionalism? The concept of professionalism is emphasized to medical students starting from day one of their medical training. How would Dr. Dupuytren, an esteemed anatomist, react to the idea that students are introduced to the idea of professionalism before entering the cadaver laboratory

Devitt, MD, Sean M.

Maxwell, IV, MD, Pinckney J.

Yeo, MD, Charles J.

English

Name not available

Baron Guillaume Dupuytren: when brilliance combats professionalism.

Jefferson Digital Commons

Thomas Jefferson UniversityJefferson Digital CommonsDepartment of Surgery Gibbon Society HistoricalProfiles Department of Surgery9-1-2012Baron Guillaume Dupuytren: when brilliancecombats professionalism.Sean M. Devitt, MDThomas Jefferson University, sean.devitt@jefferson.eduCharles J. Yeo, MDThomas Jefferson University, Charles.Yeo@jefferson.eduPinckney J. Maxwell, IV, MDMedical University of South Carolina, CharlestonLet us know how access to this document benefits youFollow this and additional works at: https://jdc.jefferson.edu/gibbonsocietyprofilesPart of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Surgery CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Jefferson Digital Commons. The Jefferson Digital Commons is a service of ThomasJefferson University's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The Commons is a showcase for Jefferson books and journals, peer-reviewed scholarlypublications, unique historical collections from the University archives, and teaching tools. The Jefferson Digital Commons allows researchers andinterested readers anywhere in the world to learn about and keep up to date with Jefferson scholarship. This article has been accepted for inclusion inDepartment of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles by an authorized administrator of the Jefferson Digital Commons. For more information,please contact: JeffersonDigitalCommons@jefferson.edu.Recommended CitationDevitt, MD, Sean M.; Yeo, MD, Charles J.; and Maxwell, IV, MD, Pinckney J., "Baron GuillaumeDupuytren: when brilliance combats professionalism." (2012). Department of Surgery Gibbon SocietyHistorical Profiles. Paper 40.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/gibbonsocietyprofiles/40Surgical LeadersBaron Guillaume Dupuytren: When BrillianceCombats ProfessionalismSEAN M. DEVITT, M.D.,* CHARLES J. YEO, M.D.,* PINCKNEY J. MAXWELL IV, M.D.†From the *Department of Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania; and the †Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South CarolinaB ARON GUILLUAME DUPUYTREN was a French anat-omist and surgeon who practiced during the1800s and is considered by some to be the most bril-liant and gifted surgeons of his time. His contributionsto the field of surgery are quite extensive, yet his ec-centric personality and attitude toward his colleagues,students, and patients raises a very interesting ques-tion: could Dr. Dupuytren (Fig. 1) and his many con-tributions to the field of surgery have thrived in today’sera of professionalism? The concept of profession-alism is emphasized to medical students starting fromday one of their medical training. How would Dr.Dupuytren, an esteemed anatomist, react to the idea thatstudents are introduced to the idea of professionalismbefore entering the cadaver laboratory?Dr. Dupuytren was born October 5, 1777, in Pierre-Buffiere, a small village in central France where hisfather practiced as an impoverished lawyer. AlthoughDr. Dupuytren originally intended to join the army, theinfluence of his father and other surgeons in the familyled Dupuytren to pursue his medical studies in Paris in1793. The next 2 years of desolation and hunger mayhave contributed to what would become his demandingand demeaning personality later in life. He spent hisdays in the anatomy laboratory and his nights studyingusing the fat from the cadavers to make oil for his lamp.1After becoming a Doctor of Medicine in 1803, hequickly rose in the ranks of surgery in Paris and be-came Chief Surgeon at the Hotel Dieu Hospital (Fig. 2)in 1815 at the age of 38 years, creating many enemiesalong the way.2 Although it is said that Dr. Dupuytrenwas the hardest working surgeon who tirelessly strovefor perfection at all times, many also note that he oftentook credit for the work of his colleagues and wasknown to plagiarize with regularity. While teaching acourse on pathology at L’Ecole de Santa, his two assis-tants were Pierre Bayle and Rene Laennec. The trioeventually parted ways on bad terms when Dr. Laennecrefused to work with Dr. Dupuytren, because he feltthat Dr. Dupuytren was taking the credit for Dr. Bayle’swork.Dr. Dupuytren was an arrogant genius who is knownfor many sayings including ‘‘Je me suis trompe quel-ques fois, mais je crois m’etre trompe moins que lesautres’’ (‘‘I made some mistakes, but I think less thanthe others’’) and ‘‘rien n’est tant a redouter pour unhome que la mediocrite’’ (‘‘nothing save mediocrity isto be feared’’).1 One would think his pompous attitudewould lead to a life of isolation, yet when Dr. Dupuytrenwas on the wards nothing could have been further fromthe truth. His brilliance was recognized by those in themedical community and his peers, and medical stu-dents would come from hundreds of miles away to hearthe expert lecture (Fig. 3).Although his peers and his students were able tolook past his unprofessional behavior, his controversialactions toward his patients may have led Dr. DupuytrenFIG. 1. Lithograph of Guillaume Dupuytren. Reprinted from‘‘Centenaire de la faculte de medecine de Paris’’ by A. Corlieu.Address correspondence and reprint requests to Pinckney J.Maxwell IV, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Colon and RectalSurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, 25 Courtenay Drive,Suite 7100A, Charleston, SC 29425. E-mail: maxwellpj@musc.edu.915into trouble in modern times. Historic accounts pro-vide two vastly different pictures of the same man,possibly confounded by the sources of information. Onone side, it is accounted that Dr. Dupuytren was rude tohis patients, often screaming at them and forcing themto their knees to speak to him. It is hypothesized thatthis maniacal portrait of the physician was painted byhis colleagues with personal vendettas against him.On the other side, Dr. Dupuytren is regarded as beingfriendly and empathetic toward his patients, especiallychildren and the less fortunate, stemming from hishumble beginnings. Considering that he became one ofthe most successful and wealthy surgeons of his time,even offering Charles X of France (Fig. 4) a millionfrancs when he was dethroned and bankrupt, it is mostlikely that he was a combination of a talented surgeonwho demanded respect with an astute clinician whoknew how to gain the respect and trust of his patients.1During the middle of a lecture in 1833, Dr. Dupuytrensuffered from a stroke that would forever change his life.Consistent with his relentless personality, Dr. Dupuytrenfinished the lecture. He attempted to retain his positionbut retired from the Hotel Dieu in 1834. He later diedin 1835 from a lung empyema resulting from tuber-culosis.3 When the most renowned surgeons of thetime were deciding whether to drain the empyema, Dr.Dupuytren felt it was better to die from the diseasethan from the operation. Ironically, one of the greatestsurgeons of the time who possibly performed morecases than any surgeon of the era had always wished todie at the hands of God and forgo surgical intervention.The life and success of Guillaume Dupuytren raisesmany questions about professionalism in the field ofsurgery today.REFERENCES1. Baron Guillaume Dupuytren. Whonamedit? A dictionary ofmedical eponyms web site. Available at: www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1104.html. Accessed October 15, 2009.2. Guillaume Dupuytren biography. Available at: www.faqs.org/health/bios/2/Guillaume-Dupuytren.html. Accessed October 15,2009.3. Wylock P. The life and time of Guillaume Dupuytren. CanJ Surg 1989;32:473–7.FIG. 3. Collected edition of Dr. Dupuytren lectures at the HotelDieu. Dupuytren BG. Clinical Lectures on Surgery: Delivered atHotel Dieu, in 1832. Boston, MA: Carter, Hender, & Co Publishers;1833:8.FIG. 2. Hotel Dieu in Paris, France, where Dupuytren would serveas Chief of Surgery for over 20 years. Aspergillus Newsletter page.Fungal Research Trust web site. Available at: www.aspergillus.org.uk/updates/NewsletterOctober2009.html. Accessed October 15, 2009.FIG. 4. Dr. Dupuytren presenting a patient to Charles X; lo-cated in the Musee Carnavalet in Paris, France. Downloaded fromclendening.kumc.edu/dc/rm/19_157p1/jpg. Accessed October 15,2009.THE AMERICAN SURGEON September 2012916 Vol. 78

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Baron Guillaume Dupuytren: when brilliance combats professionalism.

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