Alphonse François Marie Guérin (August 9, 1816 - February 21, 1895) was a French surgeon

Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

 who was a native of Ploërmel

Ploërmel

Ploërmel is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-Character of the town:It is a growing and developing community with a thriving economy and a lively atmosphere. The town is modern rather than romantically mediaeval, but it is clean and attractive and offers a...

. He studied medicine in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, and in 1850 became a surgeon of Parisian hospitals. Subsequently, he practiced surgery at the Lourcine, Cochin, Hôpital Saint-Louis

Hôpital Saint-Louis

Hôpital Saint-Louis is a hospital in Paris, France. It is part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris hospital system, and it is located at 1 avenue Claude-Vellefaux, in the 10th arrondissement, near the metro station: Goncourt.-External links:*...

 and Hôtel-Dieu. In 1868 he became a member of the Academy of Medicine.

In 1870 Guérin introduced the practice of using cotton-wool bandages for prevention of wound infections. He also described a horizontal fracture

Bone fracture

A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...

 of the maxilla

Maxilla

The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...

 immediately above the teeth and palate

Palate

The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...

, that is known today as a Le Fort I fracture

LeFort fracture

Le Fort fractures are types of facial fractures involving the maxillary bone and surrounding structures in a usually bilateral and either horizontal, pyramidal or transverse way. LeFort fractures are classic in facial trauma...

, or sometimes a Guérin fracture.

He was a specialist in urologic

Urology

Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...

 surgery, and has a handful of genitourinary terms that contain his name, such as:

• Guérin's glands: Today referred to as periurethral glands, or as Skene's glands.
• Guérin's sinus: The lacuna magna
  Lacuna magna
  In male anatomy, the lacuna magna is the largest of several recesses in the roof of the navicular fossa of the urethra. Its embryologic origin is contested, but recent evidence suggests it and the navicular fossa derive from infiltrating endodermal cells of the urethral plate...
  
  ; a diverticulum
  Diverticulum
  A diverticulum is medical or biological term for an outpouching of a hollow structure in the body. Depending upon which layers of the structure are involved, they are described as being either true or false....
  
   or cul-de-sac behind Guérin's valve (fold of navicular fossa).
• Guérin's valve: Fold or valve of mucous membrane in the navicular fossa.