DUPUYTREN, GUILLAUME, LE BARON, was born at Pierre Huffier°, n little village of tho department of Haute-Vienne, in France, on the 5th of October 3777. His parents were poor, and at the age of three years ho was stolen from them by a lady of rank, who wished to adopt him as her son. He was however returuod to his parents, and received his early education at the college of Magnac-Laval.
During one of his college vacations, whilst ho was playing in his native village when a troop of cavalry passed through, one of the officers was much struck with the appearance of young Dupuytreu, and being pleased with his answers to his questions, obtained his own and his parents' cousent to take him with him to Paris, and to educate him. The officer had a brother in the Cadge do la Marche, under whose care Dnpuytren was placed. Here he had n brilliant career, and determined on pursuing medicine as a profession. lie commenced the study of pharmacy under Lagrange and Vauquelin, aud also attended the dissecting-room. Ile is described at this time as occu pying a room with a fellow-student, the furniture of which consisted of three chairs, a table, and a sort of bed on which the friends alter nately reposed; and their means were so scanty that they were obliged to use on bread and water. During this period he alwaye commenced his work at four o'clock iu the morning.
In the month Frimaire of the year III. of the republic of Franco (the end of 1794), a now school of medicine was formed in Paris under Fourcroy. The office of prosector, as well as the chairs of the pro fessors, were given by concoura; for one of these positions Dupuytren contended, and was placed first on the list. His emolument was barely sufficient to keep him in health. In 1801 he contended with 31. Dutneril for the position of chef dos tmvaux anatomiques, which he lost by one voto ; but a few months after, Dumeril having been appointed to a professorship, the place was given to Dupuytren.
Up to this timo morbid anatomy had only been pursued in the same manner as descriptive anatomy. Little had been done towards regard ing the appearances of bodies after death as tho result of certain definite actions in life ; and the facts recorded by Bartholin, Bonet, 31anget, llorgagni, and Licutatl, had never been systematised, nor any gcueral principles deduced from them. Dupuytren saw this, and devoted himself with ardour to pathological anatomy. Ile however determined to connect this brauch of inquiry with surgery. The
results of his labour were not however published by himself, as indeed very little that ho has done has over been, but appeared in a work by M. Alarandel, entitled ' Huai cur lea Irritations,' Paris, 1807. In this work the organic lesions of the body are distributed into species, genera, orders, and classes; and although the work contains many errors of observation, and much hasty generalisation, it must be regarded as a suceesaful effort towards forming a science of morbid anatomy. .
In 1b03 Dupuytren took his degree in the faculty of medicine. On this occasion he wrote a thesis on some points of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and pathological anatomy. This thesis contained important statements of facts and deductions. The principal subjects were, the structure of the various canals of the bones, the use of the latorel ligaments, the nature of the chyle, and the nature of the morbid formations called false membranes. It was published iu Paris in 1804. In 1803 a society was constituted in the faculty of medicine for the purpose of discussing and publishing papers on medical sub jects. From 1804 to 3821 this society published seven volumes, under the title 'Bulletin de la Facultd de 316decine do Paris, et do In Socidtd dtablio dans son 8vo. The bulletins were drawn up by Merat and Dumeril, and contain a great number of reports and memoirs which had been communicated to the society by Dupuytren. Among the most important were papers on the influence of organic lesions on health ; a description of several monstrous fcetusca; description of two children, one a dwarf, the other a giant; and on the cause of death in drains and cesspools. The result of his researches on this last subject led to important alterations in the construction of drains, dec., so as to secure a more perfect ventilation, and thus the frequent occurrence of death amongst the workmen has been prevented. In his researches on this subject be was assisted by Thenard the chemist, who was his intimate friend. Th6nard also assisted him at this time in some researches upon the nature of diabetes mellitus. Although the surgeon and the chemist arrived at no satisfactory conclusions with regard to this disease, they observed and recorded many important facts. The result of their investigations was published in the 'Bulletin' for 1806.