“Avenue P\u00e9an. Never heard of it.” That’s what many might say. But this avenue in Paris carries the name of a remarkable man. Let me tell you about Jules-u00c9mile P\u00e9an. He was one of France’s great surgeons. Avenue P\u00e9an is named in his honor.
Jules-u00c9mile P\u00e9an was born in 1830. He hailed from Marbou\u00e9 a French town. He studied medicine in Paris. Auguste N\u00e9laton was one of his teachers. P\u00e9an became a doctor in 1861. He worked at St. Antoine and St. Louis hospitals. He remained there until 1893. P\u00e9an later established the international hospital. He funded it himself. He penned two volumes of private clinics. These were published in 1876 and 1890.
P\u00e9an joined the French Acad\u00e9mie Nationale de M\u00e9decine in 1887. He received the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1893. P\u00e9an died in Paris in 1898. He was 67. Several streets bear his name. You’ll find a Rue P\u00e9an in Ch\u00e2teaudun. There’s also one in Cloyes-sur-le-Loir. And of course Avenue P\u00e9an here in Paris.
P\u00e9an greatly valued hygiene. Interestingly he disagreed with Louis Pasteur’s discoveries. He preferred operating in residences. He also disliked dissecting corpses. Though a skilled teacher he never became a professor.
P\u00e9an achieved a surgical first in 1864. He successfully removed an ovarian cyst. In 1890 he pioneered vaginal hysterectomies for carcinoma. People believe he performed the first surgery for bladder diverticula in 1895.
In 1893 P\u00e9an attempted a total joint arthroplasty. This involved a French waiter’s shoulder. Sadly infection led to its removal two years later. P\u00e9an’s hemostat remains in use today. It is a testament to his contribution to surgery.
The Rue P\u00e9an in Paris is in the 13th arrondissement. Specifically it’s in the Gare neighborhood. The street starts at 55 Boulevard Mass\u00e9na. It ends at 10 Avenue Claude-Regaud. Rue P\u00e9an is relatively short. It measures 95 meters in length. It is 15 meters wide. The street’s naming occurred in 1932. It sits on the former site of bastion number 90. This bastion was part of the Thiers wall.
So as we stand on Avenue P\u00e9an remember the surgeon. Remember his contributions to medicine. Remember Jules-u00c9mile P\u00e9an a great French innovator. His legacy lives on in operating rooms. It also lives on in the streets that bear his name.