Professor Paul Courmont Medal – Lyon – Tuberculosis – Signed by Jean Chorel

In bronze

Weight: 120.7 g

Diameter: 65.3 mm

Biography :

Paul Courmont (1867-1955) was a French physician renowned for his contributions to the fight against tuberculosis and for his advances in bacteriology. Born in Lyon, he was orphaned by his father at the age of 9, and it was under the influence of his older brother, Jules Courmont, that he pursued a medical career.

In 1893, Paul Courmont became a hospital intern and obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1897. He was an associate professor of medicine in 1901 and a hospital doctor in Lyon in 1903, mainly at the Perron hospice. He held several university chairs, including those of general pathology and therapeutics, hygiene, clinic and prophylaxis of tuberculosis. He was a pioneer in the use of artificial pneumothorax to treat tuberculosis.

From 1917 to 1940, Courmont directed the Bacteriological Institute of Lyon. During World War II, in 1944, a bombing raid partially destroyed the Institute, but thanks to the determination of Courmont and his team, the Institute was reorganized in three weeks and rebuilt and improved six years later.

Paul Courmont’s research focused mainly on tuberculosis. He published important works on the bactericidal power of blood serum and pleuritic fluids against Koch’s bacillus, on tuberculous bacillemia and on the impact of associated infections in the development of tuberculosis. He also played a crucial role in the organization of the fight against tuberculosis in France.

He held several influential positions, including vice-president of the National Committee for Defense against Tuberculosis and member of the Tuberculosis Commission at the Ministry of Public Health. Paul Courmont was a member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he held various prestigious positions, as well as many other scientific societies, including the French Tuberculosis Society, the Biology Society and the Comparative Pathology Society.

Paul Courmont remained a prominent figure in French medicine until his death in 1955, leaving an important legacy in the field of public health and medical research.

Obverse:

Circular inscription:

• PROFESSOR PAUL COURMONT •

Bust of Professor Paul Courmont in profile to the right.

Signature: Jean Chorel

Reverse:

Inscription on four lines:

MEDICINE

BACTERIOLOGY

SOCIAL HYGIENE

TUBERCULOSIS

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