Jean Louis Petit

PETIT, Jean Louis (1674–1760), a famous French surgeon and anatomist. Like Ambroise Paré, he came from the guild of barbers. Thanks to his outstanding abilities, already in his early youth (at 18 years old), he distinguished himself first as a demonstrator of anatomical specimens at the lectures of his teacher, the anatomist Littre, and then as a young surgeon under the guidance of Marechal at the famous Parisian hospital Charité. In 1692–1700, he participated as a military field surgeon in various campaigns and acquired tremendous experience in field surgery, which left an imprint on all his subsequent activities.

Upon returning to Paris, Petit, through his lectures, brilliant operations, and a number of scientific works that became classics, quickly occupied a leading place among the surgeons of France, and later of Europe. Students from all corners of Europe flocked to his lectures on anatomy and surgery. This period of his work was marked by the publication of an extensive work on diseases of the bones, dislocations, and fractures ("L'art de guérir les maladies des os, ou l'on traite des luxations et des fractures", Paris, 1705), which was soon translated into German and went through a number of editions. In 1715, he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences, and in 1731, director of the newly created Surgical Academy. Petit was also one of the most popular practical surgeons of his time, proof of which was his invitation as a physician to a whole series of rulers of that era, not only of France but also of other countries of Europe (Poland, Spain, Prussia). Along with numerous works on practical surgery, among which one should note the works on the surgery of bones and joints, which were brilliant for that time, as well as works on surgery, wounds of the mammary gland, hernias, methods of amputation, the invention of the tourniquet for the temporary cessation of bleeding, etc., one should note the numerous works of Petit on various departments of descriptive anatomy. He was one of the first to point out the necessity for surgeons to study anatomy thoroughly, which played a positive role and has left an imprint on the methods of teaching surgery in France to this day. Historians of medicine rightly note that after Ambroise Paré, Petit should be considered one of the founders of surgery. Numerous works by Petit were published primarily in the Recueil des mémoires de l'Académie des sciences and in the Mémoires de l'Acad. royale de chirurgie (1715–1742). The main works of Petit were reflected in the work on which he labored for 12 years and which was published after the author's death ["Traité des maladies chirurgicales et des opérations qui leur conviennent", ouvrage posthume, publié par De Lesne (v. I–III, Paris, 1774–90)].