Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
Encyclopedia
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (April 24, 1774, Oraison
, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
– July 5, 1838) was a French physician born in Provence
.
Without a university education and working at a bank, he was forced to enter the army during the French Revolution but presented himself as a physician at that time. After successfully working as an assistant physician at a military hospital in Soliers, in 1796 he was appointed deputy surgeon at
Val-de-Grâce
(Hôpital d'instruction des armées du Val-de-Grâce) military hospital in Paris, and in 1799 physician at the National Institution for Deaf Mutes.
In Paris, Itard was a student of distinguished physician René Laennec
, inventor of the stethoscope (in 1816). Laennec was a few years younger but had a formal education at the university at Nantes and later became a lecturer and professor of medicine at the Collège de France. Itard described pneumothorax
in 1803; Laennec would provide a fuller description of the condition in 1819.
In 1821, Itard published a major work on otology
, describing the results of his medical research based on over 170 detailed cases. He is credited with the invention of the Eustachian catheter
, which is sometimes known as "Itard's catheter". Numbness in the tympanic membrane during otosclerosis
is referred to as the "Itard-Cholewa Symptom".
In 1825, as the head physician at L'Institution Royale des sourds-muets, Itard was credited with describing the first case of Tourette syndrome
in Marquise de Dampierre, a woman of nobility.
He is known as an educator of Deaf-Mutes, and tried his educational theories in the celebrated case of Victor of Aveyron
, dramatized in the 1970 motion picture The Wild Child
by François Truffaut
. However, he was disappointed with the progress he made with Victor. Itard was known to conduct experiments on the Deaf students of the Saint-Jaques school in Paris in useless attempts to restore their hearing.
Oraison
Oraison is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Geography:The river Asse forms all of the commune's southern border, then flows into the Durance, which forms all of its western border.-Population:-References:*...
, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
– July 5, 1838) was a French physician born in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
.
Without a university education and working at a bank, he was forced to enter the army during the French Revolution but presented himself as a physician at that time. After successfully working as an assistant physician at a military hospital in Soliers, in 1796 he was appointed deputy surgeon at
Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
(Hôpital d'instruction des armées du Val-de-Grâce) military hospital in Paris, and in 1799 physician at the National Institution for Deaf Mutes.
In Paris, Itard was a student of distinguished physician René Laennec
René Laennec
René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec was a French physician. He invented the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker and pioneered its use in diagnosing various chest conditions....
, inventor of the stethoscope (in 1816). Laennec was a few years younger but had a formal education at the university at Nantes and later became a lecturer and professor of medicine at the Collège de France. Itard described pneumothorax
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
in 1803; Laennec would provide a fuller description of the condition in 1819.
In 1821, Itard published a major work on otology
Otology
Otology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....
, describing the results of his medical research based on over 170 detailed cases. He is credited with the invention of the Eustachian catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...
, which is sometimes known as "Itard's catheter". Numbness in the tympanic membrane during otosclerosis
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is an abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear. It can result in hearing loss.-Clinical description:Otosclerosis can result in conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss...
is referred to as the "Itard-Cholewa Symptom".
In 1825, as the head physician at L'Institution Royale des sourds-muets, Itard was credited with describing the first case of Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
in Marquise de Dampierre, a woman of nobility.
He is known as an educator of Deaf-Mutes, and tried his educational theories in the celebrated case of Victor of Aveyron
Victor of Aveyron
Victor of Aveyron was a feral child who apparently lived his entire childhood naked and alone in the woods before being found wandering the woods near Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, France, in 1797. He was captured, but soon escaped after being displayed in the town...
, dramatized in the 1970 motion picture The Wild Child
The Wild Child
The Wild Child is a French film by director François Truffaut. The film features Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner and Jean Dasté. The film had a total of 1,458,164 admissions in France...
by François Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
. However, he was disappointed with the progress he made with Victor. Itard was known to conduct experiments on the Deaf students of the Saint-Jaques school in Paris in useless attempts to restore their hearing.
Publications
- An Historical Account of the Discovery and Education of a Savage Man: Or, the First Developments, Physical and Moral, of the Young Savage Caught in the Woods Near Aveyron in the Year 1798 - free fulltext of the English-language translation of the book; published in 1802