LARREY, DOMINIQUE-JEAN, BARON, was born at Beaudeau, near Bagueres de Bigorre, in France, in July 1760. He studied the elements of medicine and surgery at the hospital at Toulouse, under the direction of his uncle Alexis Larrey, who practised medicine in that city. In 1787 he wont to study his profession in Paris, and obtained the ap pointment of surgeon to the frigate Vigilante, in which he visited North America. He returned to Paris at the commencement of the revo lution, and in 1792 joined the French army which was then carrying on its operations on the Rhine. Here he distinguished himself by the invention of the ambulances volantes, by means of which the wounded, being first dressed, were carried oil' the field of battle, even under the fire of batteries. He was at the siege of Toulon, where he became acquainted with Napoleon Bonaparte, who was then a lieutenant of artillery. In l796 he was appointed a professor in the school of medicine and military surgery at Val de Grace. In 1798 he accom panied tho French army with Napoleon to Egypt, and on his return published an historical and surgical account of the expedition, with the title 'Relation historique et chinirgicale de ]'Expedition de l'Armde d'Orient en Egypte et en Syric; 8vo, Paris, 1803. From this time he was advanced to various honourable positions ; after the battle of Wagram he was made a Baron of the Empire, and in 1812 he was made surgeon•in-chief of the imperial army.
An anecdote is related of Larrey which shows his courage, and proves that he did not obtain the good graces of the Emperor by any sacrifice of character. After the battles of Bautzen and Wiirchen it was suggested to Bonaparte that the number of the wounded had been increased by voluntary mutilation. He immediately ordered that the suspected, to the number of 1200, should bo separated from the rest to be examined by the surgeons, and if found guilty they should be shot. Nobody doubted the guilt of the parties, and great anxiety was
shown to put the sentence into execution, when Larrey demanded time to examine the suspected persons accurately, and ho reported that all the accused were innocent. He addressed a report to this effect to Napoleon, expecting that his dismissal would follow. The contrary was the case, for Napoleon sent him a letter in return with a present of 6000 francs, and the warrant of a pension of 3000 to be paid from his own privy purse. Napoleon bequeathed to Larrey at his death 10,000 francs, at the same time expressing his conviction "Larrey was the most virtuous man he had ever kuown." Larrey published many works besides that above referred to, which contain a great mass of valuable surgical observations. One of his earliest publications was his 'Dissertation sur les Amputations des Memhrcs h la suite des coups de feu, dtayde de plusieurs operations,' Paris, 1796. In this work he demonstrated the necessity of imme diate amputation after gun-shot wounds, and for the first time clearly pointed out the cases in which it was indicated. In addition to these works he published de Chirurgie militaire et Campagues; 8vo, Paris, 1812; 'Recuoil de M6moires de Chirurgie; Svo, Paris, 1821. A multitude of papers scattered throughout the medical and surgical journals of France, the Bulletins of the Academy of Paris, and other volumes, on almost every department of surgery, bear testimony to his industry and talent, and the enlightened principles on which ha based the practice of his profession. Some of these have been translated into most of the languages of Europe, and have obtained for Larrey a first position amongst modern surgeons. Ile died at Lyon, on the 25th of July 1841.