Casimir Davaine Explained
Casimir-Joseph Davaine (19 March 1812 – 14 October 1882) was a French physician known for his work in the field of microbiology. He was a native of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, department of Nord.
In 1850, Davaine along with French pathologist Pierre François Olive Rayer, discovered a certain microorganism in the blood of diseased and dying sheep.[1] [2] In the diseased blood, Rayer and Davaine observed the bacillus that is known today as Bacillus anthracis, the causative bacterium of anthrax. Soon afterwards, Rayer published a description of the bacillus in a paper titled, Inoculation du sang de rate (1850).[3] [4]
In 1863, Davaine demonstrated that the bacillus could be directly transmitted from one animal to another. He was able to identify the causative organism, but was unaware of its true etiology.[5] [6] Later on, German microbiologist Robert Koch investigated the etiology of Bacillus anthracis, and discovered its ability to produce "resting spores" that could stay alive in the soil for a long period of time to serve as a future source of infection.[7]
Casimir Davaine is also credited for pioneer work in the study of sepsis (blood poisoning).[8]
Further reading
- Book: Tomes, Nancy . 1999 . The Gospel of Germs: Men, Women, and the Microbe in American Life . Harvard University Press. 978-0674357082.
- Théodoridès. J. 1994. [Former observations of urinary bilharziasis and wuchereriosis]. Bulletin de la Société de pathologie exotique. 87. 3. 191–193. 7827524.
- Rocchietta. S. January 1970. [Casimir Joseph Davaine (1812–1882), pioneer of medical microbiology]. Minerva Med.. 61. 6. XI. 4904892.
- Théodoridès. J. April 1966. Casimir Davaine (1812–1882): a precursor of Pasteur. Medical History. 10. 2. 155–165. 5325873. 1033586 . 10.1017/S0025727300010942.
- Lagrange. E. February 1955. [Casimir Davaine, pioneer in two fields.]. La Presse Médicale. 63. 12. 234–235. 14371473.
Notes and References
- Pierre François . Olive Rayer . 1850 . Inoculation du sang de rate . Comptes Rendus des Séances et Mémoires de la Société de Biologie . 2 . 141–144 .
- Book: Swiderski, Richard M.. Anthax: A History. McFarland. 2014. 9780786481965.
- http://www.whonamedit.com/person_bibliography/2987/ Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch - bibliography
- http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/86.html Biography of Pierre-François-Olive Rayer
- https://books.google.com/books?id=vqTNfnKJVPAC&dq=%22Davaine%2C+Casimir%22+1812+St.-Amand-les-Eaux&pg=PA174 Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists, Third Edition
- Book: Bazin, Hervé. Vaccination: a History - From Lady Montagu to Jenner Pasteur and Genetic Engineering (Médecine sciences). John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. 2011. 978-2742007752. 174.
- Book: Grove, David. Tapeworms, Lice, and Prions: A compendium of unpleasant infections. Oxford University Press. 2014. 978-0199641024.
- Book: Klein, Edward. Micro-organisms and Disease: An Introduction Into the Study of Specific Micro-organisms. Macmillan. 1886. 93.
