Pierre Potain
Encyclopedia
Pierre Charles Édouard Potain (July 19, 1825 - January 5, 1901) was a French cardiologist born in Paris
.
In 1853 he earned his doctorate from the University of Paris
, and afterwards worked as an assistant to Jules Baillarger
(1809-1890) at the mental asylum at Ivry
. In 1856 he began work in the clinic of Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud (1796-1881), whom Potain regarded as a major influence to his career. Afterwards he worked in various hospitals in Paris, including the Sainte-Antoine and Hôpital Necker, and in 1861 was appointed Médecin des hôpitaux. From 1882 to 1900 he worked at the Hôpital de la Charité
.
Potain made several contributions in his research of cardiovascular disease, and conducted various tests in the field of cardiology. These tests included analysis of jugular venous
waves, heart gallop rhythm
research, blood pressure
testing and auscultatory
analysis. In 1889 he was credited for making modifications to the sphygmomanometer
, a device used to measure blood pressure that had been recently invented by Samuel Siegfried Carl von Basch (1837-1905).
The term "Potain's sign" is an extension of percussion
dullness over the aortic arch
from the manubrium
to the third costal cartilage on the right-hand side of the body. Potain's name is associated with several other eponymous medical terms; the following terms are rarely used today and are for historical purposes only.
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...
.
In 1853 he earned his doctorate from the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, and afterwards worked as an assistant to Jules Baillarger
Jules Baillarger
Jules Baillarger, full name Jules Gabriel François Baillarger was a French neurologist and psychiatrist who was born in Montbazon....
(1809-1890) at the mental asylum at Ivry
Ivry
Ivry is part of the name of multiple communes in France:* Ivry-la-Bataille, in the Eure département* Ivry-sur-Seine, in the Val-de-Marne départementIvry is also part of the name of a city in the province of Quebec:...
. In 1856 he began work in the clinic of Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud (1796-1881), whom Potain regarded as a major influence to his career. Afterwards he worked in various hospitals in Paris, including the Sainte-Antoine and Hôpital Necker, and in 1861 was appointed Médecin des hôpitaux. From 1882 to 1900 he worked at the Hôpital de la Charité
Hôpital de la Charité
Hôpital de la Charité was a hospital in Paris founded in the 17th century and closed in 1935.-History:In 1606, Marie de Médicis invited the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God to come to France. The Abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés granted them the use of its former Saint-Père chapel, which...
.
Potain made several contributions in his research of cardiovascular disease, and conducted various tests in the field of cardiology. These tests included analysis of jugular venous
Jugular vein
The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava.-Internal and external:There are two sets of jugular veins: external and internal....
waves, heart gallop rhythm
Gallop rhythm
A gallop rhythm refers to a rhythm of the heart on auscultation. It includes three or four sounds, thus resembling the sounds of a gallop....
research, blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
testing and auscultatory
Auscultation
Auscultation is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope...
analysis. In 1889 he was credited for making modifications to the sphygmomanometer
Sphygmomanometer
A sphygmomanometer or blood pressure meter is a device used to measure blood pressure, comprising an inflatable cuff to restrict blood flow, and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure. It is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure blood flow is just...
, a device used to measure blood pressure that had been recently invented by Samuel Siegfried Carl von Basch (1837-1905).
The term "Potain's sign" is an extension of percussion
Percussion (medicine)
Percussion is a method of tapping on a surface to determine the underlying structure, and is used in clinical examinations to assess the condition of the thorax or abdomen. It is one of the four methods of clinical examination, together with inspection, palpation and auscultation...
dullness over the aortic arch
Aortic arch
The arch of the aorta or the transverse aortic arch is the part of the aorta that begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left...
from the manubrium
Manubrium
The manubrium or manubrium sterni is the broad, upper part of the sternum. Located ventrally with a quadrangular shape, wider superiorly and narrower inferiorly, it articulates with the clavicles and the first two ribs.-Borders:The superior border is the thickest and presents at its center the...
to the third costal cartilage on the right-hand side of the body. Potain's name is associated with several other eponymous medical terms; the following terms are rarely used today and are for historical purposes only.
- Potain's disease: pulmonary edemaPulmonary edemaPulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
- Potain's solution: diluentDiluentA diluent is a diluting agent.Certain fluids are too viscous to be pumped easily or too dense to flow from one particular point to the other. This can be problematic, because it might not be economically feasible to transport such fluids in this state.To ease this restricted movement, diluents...
used in a procedure to count red blood cellRed blood cellRed blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate organism's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via the blood flow through the circulatory system...
s - Potain's syndrome: dyspepsiaDyspepsiaDyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating...
with expansion of the right ventricleRight ventricleThe right ventricle is one of four chambers in the human heart. It receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium via the tricuspid valve, and pumps it into the pulmonary artery via the pulmonary valve and pulmonary trunk....
, and an increase of pulmonary auscultation.
Written works
- Des lésions des ganglions lymphatiques viscéraux. Paris, Remquet, 1860.
- De la Succession des mouvements du coeur, réfutation des opinions de M. Beau, leçon faite à l'Hôtel-Dieu. Paris: impr. de H. Plon, 1863
- Note sur les dédoublements normaux des bruits du coeur, présentée à la Société médicale des hôpitaux, dans la séance du 22 juin 1866, par le Dr Potain,. Paris: impr. de F. Malteste, 1866.
- Des mouvements et des bruits qui se passent dans les veines jugulaires. Bull. Soc. Méd. Hôp. Paris (Mémoires), 1867, 2 sér., 4, 3-27.
- Du Rhythme cardiaque appelé bruit de galop, de son mécanisme et de sa valeur séméiologique, note présentée à la Société médicale des hôpitaux de Paris Paris: A. Delahaye, 1876. También en : Bull. Soc. Méd. Hôp. Paris (Mémoires), (1875), 1876, 12, 137-66.
- Des Fluxions pleuro-pulmonaires réflexes d'origine utéro-ovarienne. Paris: impr. de Chaix, 1884.
- Du sphygmomanomètre et de la mesure de la pression artérielle chez l'homme à l'état normale et pathologique. Arch. Physiol. Nom. Path., 5 sér., 1, 556-69.
- Dernière leçon de M. le professeur Potain. Paris: impr. de J. Gainche, 1900.*
- La Pression artérielle de l'homme à l'état normal et pathologique Paris: Masson, 1902.
See also
- Obituary of Pierre Potain in the British Medical Journal 12 Jan 1901