Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau (1828, Blaye
, Gironde
, France – 1906, Argelès-Gazost
, Pyrenees
) was the French physician
who first described narcolepsy
.
Gélineau had a varied life. As a young student at the Rochefort Navy Medical School he took part in the combat against cholera
, from which the city of La Rochelle
was suffering. In 1849 he became an intern of the Navy Hospital and in the following year a "Surgeon of the Third Class".
As a Navy surgeon he visited French colonies in the Indian Ocean
: first Réunion
island and then Mayotte
in the Comoros
archipelago. During this period he wrote Voyage a i'lle de la Réunion, a memoir published much later, in 1905, in which he described colonial life and the abolition of slavery. He included the story of Elise, a beautiful Creole
woman. She was the concubine of a young naval commander, and had a child that died soon after birth. This indicates the autobiographic character of the work.
He defended a doctoral thesis
"Aperçu Medical de I'lle de Mayotte" at Montpellier University School of Medicine in 1858, using the data collected during his year-and-a-half stay on Mayotte. At that time he was a "Navy Surgeon of the Second Class".
For his dedication in fighting epidemic
s that broke out during the Franco-German war in 1870 he was nominated for the Legion of Honor, but received it later on. He also held the Officier d'Academie and Commander of Nichan of the Ottoman Empire
.
In 1871 Gélineau introduced "Doctor Gélineau's Tablets" for the treatment of epilepsy
(they contained bromide
and arsenic
). He was a member of the Société de Médicine, Société d' Hypnologie, La Société Française d' Hygiène, and a few others.
After retirement at the age of 72, Gélineau switched to wine production, continuing the family tradition. He was awarded gold medals at the Antwerp and Paris Exhibitions.
Blaye
Blaye is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Blayais or the Blayaises.-Geography:...
, Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
, France – 1906, Argelès-Gazost
Argelès-Gazost
Argelès-Gazost is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.The Parc animalier des Pyrénées is located in Argelès-Gazost.-References:*...
, Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
) was the French physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who first described narcolepsy
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as while at work. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which often is confused with insomnia...
.
Gélineau had a varied life. As a young student at the Rochefort Navy Medical School he took part in the combat against cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, from which the city of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
was suffering. In 1849 he became an intern of the Navy Hospital and in the following year a "Surgeon of the Third Class".
As a Navy surgeon he visited French colonies in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
: first Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
island and then Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
in the Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
archipelago. During this period he wrote Voyage a i'lle de la Réunion, a memoir published much later, in 1905, in which he described colonial life and the abolition of slavery. He included the story of Elise, a beautiful Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
woman. She was the concubine of a young naval commander, and had a child that died soon after birth. This indicates the autobiographic character of the work.
He defended a doctoral thesis
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
"Aperçu Medical de I'lle de Mayotte" at Montpellier University School of Medicine in 1858, using the data collected during his year-and-a-half stay on Mayotte. At that time he was a "Navy Surgeon of the Second Class".
For his dedication in fighting epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
s that broke out during the Franco-German war in 1870 he was nominated for the Legion of Honor, but received it later on. He also held the Officier d'Academie and Commander of Nichan of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
In 1871 Gélineau introduced "Doctor Gélineau's Tablets" for the treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
(they contained bromide
Bromide
A bromide is a chemical compound containing bromide ion, that is bromine atom with effective charge of −1. The class name can include ionic compounds such as caesium bromide or covalent compounds such as sulfur dibromide.-Natural occurrence:...
and arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
). He was a member of the Société de Médicine, Société d' Hypnologie, La Société Française d' Hygiène, and a few others.
After retirement at the age of 72, Gélineau switched to wine production, continuing the family tradition. He was awarded gold medals at the Antwerp and Paris Exhibitions.