Victor Morax
Encyclopedia
Victor Morax was a French
ophthalmologist
who was born in Morges
, Switzerland
. He studied in Freiburg
(Germany) and Paris
, and from 1891 to 1903 he worked at the Pasteur Institute
in Paris. From 1903 to 1928 he was associated with the Hôpital Lariboisière, and in 1930 became a member of the Académie de Médecine.
While at the Pasteur Institute, Morax discovered the bacillus
Moraxella
lacunata, which is the cause of chronic conjunctivitis
. The disease is sometimes referred to as either "Morax' disease" or as "Axenfeld's conjunctivitis", named after German ophthalmologist Theodor Axenfeld
(1867-1930), who made his discovery of the bacillus during the same time period as did Morax.
In 1923 he became vice-president of the International League Against Trachoma
with bacteriologist Charles Nicolle
(1866-1936) as its president. In 1929 he published an important treatise on the disorder titled Le Trachome. From 1892 he was editor of the journal Annales d’oculistique.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
who was born in Morges
Morges
Morges is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges and is also the seat of the district.-History:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He studied in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
(Germany) and 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 from 1891 to 1903 he worked at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
in Paris. From 1903 to 1928 he was associated with the Hôpital Lariboisière, and in 1930 became a member of the Académie de Médecine.
While at the Pasteur Institute, Morax discovered the bacillus
Bacillus
Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria and a member of the division Firmicutes. Bacillus species can be obligate aerobes or facultative anaerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase. Ubiquitous in nature, Bacillus includes both free-living and pathogenic species...
Moraxella
Moraxella
Moraxella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria in the Moraxellaceae family. It is named after the Swiss ophthalmologist Victor Morax. The organisms are short rods, coccobacilli or, as in the case of Moraxella catarrhalis, diplococci in morphology, with asaccharolytic, oxidase-positive and...
lacunata, which is the cause of chronic conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva...
. The disease is sometimes referred to as either "Morax' disease" or as "Axenfeld's conjunctivitis", named after German ophthalmologist Theodor Axenfeld
Theodor Axenfeld
Karl Theodor Paul Polykarpus Axenfeld was a German ophthalmologist who was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire to a German minister. As a child his family moved back to Germany in the town of Godesberg. He received his medical doctorate in 1890 from the University of Marburg...
(1867-1930), who made his discovery of the bacillus during the same time period as did Morax.
In 1923 he became vice-president of the International League Against Trachoma
Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
with bacteriologist Charles Nicolle
Charles Nicolle
Charles Jules Henry Nicolle was a French bacteriologist who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his identification of lice as the transmitter of epidemic typhus.- Biography :...
(1866-1936) as its president. In 1929 he published an important treatise on the disorder titled Le Trachome. From 1892 he was editor of the journal Annales d’oculistique.