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Although it was Claude Bernard who first published an accurate description of the physiology of carbon monoxide poisoning, [1] this is not the work for which he is best known. The nineteenth century French physician and scientist is renowned for a wide variety of physiological and biological discoveries, the most important of which pertain to the glycogenic function of the liver, the role of the pancreas in digestion, muscle physiology and vasomotor nerve function [2]. He is recognized as establishing physiology as an important area of medical study, and his magnum opus, Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine is considered a classic in scientific literature [3]. Born in 1813 in the village of Saint-Julien in the Beaujolais region, Bernard began his career as an apprentice in a pharmacy. He was an indifferent trainee, and a year and a half of service managed mainly to induce in him a distrust of the haphazard empirical methods then prevalent in medicine. Years later, a testimonial from the pharmacist indicated that he had ‘‘conducted himself honorably and faithfully’’ but excluded to mention that he showed any special talent for pharmacy [4]. Among his tasks was the compounding of ‘‘theriaque’’, a widely-used panacea composed of opium, squills, spikenard and myrrh dissolved in honey and wine. Bernard soon discovered that any available excess medicinal powders were also often appended to the mixture. His real interest lay in becoming a playwright. Having had a play produced in the provinces, Bernard proceeded to Paris to have his literary work reviewed by Saint-Marc Girardin, an influential critic and professor of literature at the Sorbonne. The latter was unimpressed, allegedly advising Bernard, ‘‘You have done some pharmacy, study medicine. You have not the temperament of a dramatist’’ [4]. Following this advice, Bernard entered the Medical College of France, from where he graduated in 1843. While at medical school, he became a disciple of Francois Magendie, a vigorous proponent of the experimental method. Bernard never practiced clinical medicine, turning instead to laboratory investigation and teaching. His wife and daughters eventually abandoned him when he refused to give up experimental medicine in order to pursue a more lucrative clinical practice [5]. Upon Magendie’s death in 1855, Bernard replaced him as lecturer at the College of France. He began to compile his lectures beginning in that year, and by 1879, this comprised a body of work of fourteen volumes. In 1857, Bernard published a volume entitled Lecons sur les Effets des Substances Toxiques et Medicamenteuses (Lectures on the effects of toxic and medicinal substances), this constituting the series of lectures he had * Corresponding author. Present address. 2219 Dorrington, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Tel.: /1-713-839-1170; fax: /1-713-8391467. E-mail address: jvaron@roamer.net (J. Varon). |
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