In the year 1803 the office of assistant-surgeon at the Hotel Dieu was given to Dupuytren after examination by public contours. In 1811 Sahatier died, who had long filled the chair of surgery with the highest reputation. The contours for this office took place in 1812, when Dupuytren, Roux, Tartra, and Marjolin were the candi dates. The examination consisted of written replies to certain surgical and anatomical questions, a defence by each of the candidates of his own particular positions, operations upon the dead body, and a thesis. Dupuytren was successful. The subject of the thesis was the operation of lithotomy. That presented by Dupuytren was published in Paris, with the title 'De la Lithotomie These pr6sent6a an Concoura pour Is Chairs de M6decine Operatoire,' 4to. In 1815 he was transferred to the chair of clinical surgery, which he held till his death. In 1818 he was advauced to the post of senior surgeon to the Hotel Dieu.
Although it would be difficult .to point out a single department of surgery or morbid anatomy on which the views, opinions, and observations of Dnpuytren are not known, yet he has left no record of these in works written by himself. During the twenty years how ever that he held the office of professor of clinical surgery at the HOtel-Dieu, his lectures were published in the various French medical periodicals, and many courses have been also published in the English medical periodicals. A collection of them was published in Paris by a society of young medical men, under the title Logone Oralea de Clinique Chirurgicale, faites it l'HOtel-Dieu de Paris, par M. le Baron Dupuytren, recueillies et publiees par une Societ6 de Medecins; 1832, 8vo. This work extended to four volumes, and embraces the views of Dupuytreu on most of the important points of surgery. His views on morbid anatomy have been fully given by Roche and Sanson in their great work on medico-chirurgical pathology, entitled Nouveau Blemens de Pathologie Medico-Chirurgicale: 5 vole. 8vo, Paris, 1833. In the '116pertoire d'Auatomie ' of Breachet and Royer-Collard, and the 'M6decine Op6ratoire de Sabatier ' of Sanson and Beguin, the surgical and pathological views of Dupuytren have found faithful reporters.
The improvements introduced by Dupuytren in the treatment of surgical diseases were always founded on his great anatomical and pathological knowledge, and modern surgery owes much of its success to his exertions. One subject to which he turned his attention was artificial anus, and he proposed an operation in this painful state which has been perfectly successful. On this subject he presented a memoir from his own hand to the Acad6mie Royale de 316decine. It was published under the title M6moire our une M6thode Nouvelle pour traiter les Anus Accidentels.' Besides this, and the papers before referred to, the following subjecta on which he wrote are amongst those which have distinguished him both as a pathologist and surgeon : On the Nerves of the Tongue; on the Motions of the Brain ; on the Function of Absorption; on the Influence of the Eighth Pair of Nerves; on Amputation of the lower Taw-bone ; on the Ligature of Arteries; on Fracture of the Fibula ; on Congenital Dislocations; on Retraction of the Fingers.
In the department of practical surgery he was eminently successful; he possessed almost entire control over his feelings ; and with great anatomical knowledge, accuracy of perception, and perfect steadiness of manipulation, his operations were regarded as the most successful of the surgical staff of the Parisian hospitals. Hia presence of mind never forsook him, and the difficulties and accidents which must sometimes occur in operative surgery were always made subservient to the instruction and guidance of the pupils. During his career as an operative surgeon ho invented many instruments. Amongst these is the enterotome, with which tho operation for artificial anus is performed, and which has rescued many victims from the grave. Other instruments of his invention are—a double-bladed bistoury, for the bilateral operation for atone in the bladder ; a cataract-needle ; a compressor in cans of hemorrhage; a porte-ligature ; and others.
Ilia performance of his duties, as surgeon and clinical teacher, was remarkable. Although he had one of the largest private practices in Europe, and accumulated through it probably the largest fortune ever made by a medical man, he never neglected his public duties. He spent from four to five hours every morning in visiting his patients at the lIOtel-Dien, performing operations, making post-mortem examin. ationa, giving clinical instruction, and in consultations. Every evening he returned to the hospital at six, for the purpose of visiting the worst cases and performing urgent operations. These severe duties he never intermitted even during sickness, and when suffering from attacks of disease. These labours however at last told upon even his iron con stitution, and in November 1833 be first gave symptoms of decay. On the 5th of that month he was seized with a alight attack of apoplexy, which lasted only a short time, but left behind it a difficulty of speaking, as well as an inclination of the mouth towards the right aide. He still continued his duties at the Hotel-Dieu, but his friends at last persuaded him to make a journey to Naples. He remained in that city till May 1834. He resumed his visits and lectures at the hospital, and struggled on till February 1835. He died on the 8th of the same month. He retained his intellectual faculties to the last, and, aware of his approaching end, wished that the medical paper might bo read to him the evening before he died, "in order," as he observed, "that he might carry the latest news of disease out of the world." He however repudiated the suggestion that he was a sceptic in religion, and received, previous to his death, the last sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church.