Henri Fruchaud


This article is part of the series "A Moment in History" where we honor those who have contributed to the growth of medical knowledge in the areas of anatomy, medicine, surgery, and medical research.To search all the articles in this series, click here.

Dr. Henri Rene Fruchaud (1894-1960) was born in 1894 in Angers, the capital of the French province of Anjou. He started his medical studies in Anjou and continued them later in Paris. He was active in both WWI and WWII, earning several medals for bravery. He published a large number of articles in diverse surgical fields. 

An anatomist and a surgeon, Fruchaud is best known for his work in the field of Hernia Surgery by two of his books published in 1956: "L'Anatomie chirurgicale de la r?gion de l'aine" (Surgical anatomy of the groin region), and "Le traitement chirurgical des hernies de l'aine" (Surgical Treatment of Groin Hernias). He described the presence of a weak area in the pelvic region that he calls the "Myopectineal Orifice" or MPO. He states in his book: "It may be said that a healthy man is, unknown to himself, a hernia bearer". The MPO concept has become of importance after the advent of the laparoscopic repair of inguinofemoral hernias.

He is one of the members of the French Order of the Liberation, where you can read his biography in French.

Fruchaud
Original image of Dr. Henri Fruchaud courtesy of the French Order of the Liberation Museum.
Source: "Henri Fruchaud (1894–1960): A man of bravery, an anatomist a surgeon" Stoppa,R and Wantz,G.  Hernia 1998,Vol 2,(1) 45 - 47
 
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