1. Jean-Baptiste Denys was born in the 1630s, although his birth went unnoticed and undocumented.
18 Facts About Jean-Baptiste Denys
1. 2.
Jean-Baptiste Denys's father was an artisan who specialized in water pumps, which were seeing an increase in popularity and sophistication during the time of his birth.
3.
Jean-Baptiste Denys obtained a bachelor's in theology at the College des Grassins and a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine in Montpellier.
4.
Jean-Baptiste Denys' ambition drew him to attempt a career in Paris, but the university's poor reputation made him an outsider to the Paris's wealthy scientific elite.
5.
Jean-Baptiste Denys started a collaboration with the barber-surgeon Paul Emmerez to undertake blood transfusion, having been influenced by reports of English success.
6.
Jean-Baptiste Denys's first recorded case of blood transfusion was between two small dogs, both of which he intended to survive the procedure, in contrast to the results obtained by the English.
7.
One dog remained weak while the other maintained a more energetic and alert character, although Jean-Baptiste Denys did note that the dog was not as 'awake and gay' as it had been earlier.
8.
Jean-Baptiste Denys believed that blood transfusion would garner him recognition throughout all of Europe and the Parisian elite.
9.
Jean-Baptiste Denys later moved his research to the private academy established by Henri Louis Habert de Montmor, who saw an opportunity to surpass both the English and the conservative French Academy of Sciences and consequently gain his own glory.
10.
Jean-Baptiste Denys would go on to announce his successes to the European scientific community through written reports submitted to the Journal des scavans, which enabled him to start a correspondence with Henry Oldenburg, and consequently the Philosophical Transaction.
11.
Jean-Baptiste Denys omitted to credit the works done by English scientists, leading to many conflicts.
12.
Jean-Baptiste Denys believed the next step was initiating a radical new procedure between humans and animals, utilizing as a prime example the lamb, the symbol of the blood of Christ, hence the purest form.
13.
Jean-Baptiste Denys performed another transfusion on a middle-aged butcher with pleasing results.
14.
Jean-Baptiste Denys performed a second transfusion which diminished the delirium but induced other major side effects.
15.
The third and last transfusion performed on Mauroy happened under major pressure of the wife, in fact, Jean-Baptiste Denys was against it.
16.
Jean-Baptiste Denys was convinced that his transfusions did not cause Mauroy's death, and that this trial was rather a consequence of his decision to pursue research against the will of the King's Academy of Sciences as well as that of the major players of the conservative Parisienne Faculty of Medicine.
17.
Jean-Baptiste Denys claimed that his 'essence' was much simpler to use compared to earlier methods of cautery which involved the use of caustic agents such as the 'needle and thread' and 'hot iron'.
18.
Jean-Baptiste Denys then applied Denys' hemostatic liquor to the bleeding vessels and applied pressure using a pledget for 30 minutes.