Émétine et quinine, une thérapie pour sauver Bellini en 1835 - article ; n°335 ; vol.90, pg 401-426

Francis Trépardoux

Description

Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie - Année 2002 - Volume 90 - Numéro 335 - Pages 401-426
À Paris alors qu'il connaît une célébrité européenne, la mort brutale de Vincenzo Bellini, jeune et de bonne santé, suscite une émotion très vive. Son autopsie confiée à A. Dalmas, révèle les signes cliniques et anatomiques d'une atteinte amibienne intestinale ainsi qu'un volumineux abcès au niveau du foie. Mis à l'écart dans une villa de Puteaux et privé de soins médicaux sérieux, le compositeur a connu une mort douloureuse par son isolement complet de sa famille et de ses amis. La mise en oeuvre d'un traitement médicamenteux approprié à base d'émétine et de quinine pouvait améliorer sensiblement son état, peut- être même aurait-il pu le sauver. La présence du médecin italien Montallegri qui n'était pas alors autorisé à exercer en France, interroge vivement la curiosité des historiens de la médecine sur les circonstances finales de cette affaire.
Emetine and quinine, a therapy to rescue Bellini in 1835.
At the moment when his operas got a european celebrity, Vincenzo Bellini born in 1801 rapidly died in September 1835 after a three weeks digestive illness, with mainly dysenteria. Young and healthy, this unexpected event questioned the authorities in Paris. The post mortem examination showed that the colonic mucosa was covered by numerous ulcers, and that a large abcess existed in the liver. All other parts of the body were absolutely sound.These results came out from the autopsy performed by Adolphe Dalmas (1799-1844), professor agrégé at the Faculty of medicine of Paris, formerly member of the special committee in charge of fighting the cholera in 1831 and 1832, who studied its medical aspects during the epidemic attack in Russia, Poland, Germany and Great Britain. With a wide knowledge in the field of the intestinal pathology, his conclusions established that the death came from an inflammation of the bowel, excluding clearly any touch of cholera or poisoning.
Nowadays, it is obvious that this dysenteria syndrom associated to such anatomic disorders would belong to the chronic amebic disease. Probably contaminated in 1828, Bellini developed a severe episod in 1830, necessitating a long rest during several months, spent at Moltrasio along the side of the Lake of Como. At that time, he composed La Sonnambula and Norma. In 1833 after staying in London from April to August, he came to Paris preparing a new work I Puritani (The Puritains). At summer time, he usually suffered slight recurring episods, that he treated by applying vesicatories. For frequent periods, he lived outside Paris in a villa standing along the Seine in Puteaux rented by his British friends the Levys. Early in September 1835, these symptoms came again and suddenly worsened with pain, fever and loss of rest at night. Deserted and lonely as the Levys often left the villa, his critical condition exhibiting tremendous sufferings led to death on the 23rd of September. During the final days,he was not granted any relevant medical support, except the poor cares given by the Italian physician Montallegri, not authorised at that time to practise in France. As emetine and quinine since 1822 were both available as pure alcaloids, produced by the pharmacist Joseph Pelletier, it is assumed that Bellini might have recover after an intensive treament inplementing these substances by oral, local and rectal routes (enemas and suppositories). At that time, apart from the academic teaching inherited from Broussais, the tropical practitioners currently used them in the treatment of dysenteria and tropical liver abcesses (Annesley, Segond and Dutroulau), as decocted ipeca roots and cinchona barks. Later on when the amebic disease has gained its proper nosography, the clinicians underlined the dangerous and unpredictable issues of the hyperacute hepatic syndromes, unexpected and occuring by apparently healthy individuals. By 1960, its treatment was stillobtained by the emetine derivatives.
26 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Médecine

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• Publié par: Articles-de-la-societe-d-histoire-de-la-pharmacie
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2002
• Nombre de lectures: 62
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Francis Trépardoux

Émétine et quinine, une thérapie pour sauver Bellini en 1835

In: Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 90e année, N. 335, 2002. pp. 401-426.

Citer ce document / Cite this document :

Trépardoux Francis. Émétine et quinine, une thérapie pour sauver Bellini en 1835. In: Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 90e

année, N. 335, 2002. pp. 401-426.

doi : 10.3406/pharm.2002.5397

http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/pharm_0035-2349_2002_num_90_335_5397

Résumé

À Paris alors qu'il connaît une célébrité européenne, la mort brutale de Vincenzo Bellini, jeune et de

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cliniques et anatomiques d'une atteinte amibienne intestinale ainsi qu'un volumineux abcès au niveau

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oeuvre d'un traitement médicamenteux approprié à base d'émétine et de quinine pouvait améliorer

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Abstract

Emetine and quinine, a therapy to rescue Bellini in 1835.

At the moment when his operas got a european celebrity, Vincenzo Bellini born in 1801 rapidly died in

September 1835 after a three weeks digestive illness, with mainly dysenteria. Young and healthy, this

unexpected event questioned the authorities in Paris. The post mortem examination showed that the

colonic mucosa was covered by numerous ulcers, and that a large abcess existed in the liver. All other

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knowledge in the field of the intestinal pathology, his conclusions established that the death came from

an inflammation of the bowel, excluding clearly any touch of cholera or poisoning.

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episod in 1830, necessitating a long rest during several months, spent at Moltrasio along the side of the

Lake of Como. At that time, he composed La Sonnambula and Norma. In 1833 after staying in London

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periods, he lived outside Paris in a villa standing along the Seine in Puteaux rented by his British friends

the Levys. Early in September 1835, these symptoms came again and suddenly worsened with pain,

fever and loss of rest at night. Deserted and lonely as the Levys often left the villa, his critical condition

exhibiting tremendous sufferings led to death on the 23rd of September. During the final days,he was

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Montallegri, not authorised at that time to practise in France. As emetine and quinine since 1822 were

both available as pure alcaloids, produced by the pharmacist Joseph Pelletier, it is assumed that Bellini

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Broussais, the tropical practitioners currently used them in the treatment of dysenteria and tropical liver

abcesses (Annesley, Segond and Dutroulau), as decocted ipeca roots and cinchona barks. Later on

when the amebic disease has gained its proper nosography, the clinicians underlined the dangerous

and unpredictable issues of the hyperacute hepatic syndromes, unexpected and occuring by apparently

healthy individuals. By 1960, its treatment was stillobtained by the emetine derivatives.