Chronological referencesMarcel Baltazard (1908-1971) |
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French doctor and biologist born in Verdun (Meuse, France) on 13/02/1908.
Secondary education in Verdun.
1924 starts PCN (medical faculty) in Paris, determined to become a clinician.
1928-1933 A friend, C. Desportes, suggests him to join him in É. Brumpt's laboratory of parasitology at the medical faculty in Paris. There he becomes an assistant in 1931.
06-12/1932 G. Blanc whom E. Roux has untrusted the foundation of Institut Pasteur in Morocco, invites him to prepare his doctoral thesis on the Marrakech's bilharziosis focus.
12/1932-05/1933 Back to the laboratory of parasitology at the medical faculty (Paris), he studies the spotted fever. He improves his microbiological technique in R. Legroux's laboratory in Institut Pasteur.
He attends his medical thesis :"Contribution to the study of the vesical bilharziosis in Morocco" (thesis prize of Academy of medecine); stays as a trainee at Institut Pasteur of Tunis with CH. Nicolle.
05/1933-1942 Joins again G. Blanc at Institut Pasteur of Casablanca. He carries out researches on transmission of typhus, sodoku, spirochete of fever .
1935 Desportes Prize of Academy of medecine.
1937 With G. Blanc , works out a new vaccine against typhus, from infected fleas' excrements and whose virulence on human can be attenuated.
1942-1945 Mobilized on his request , he participates to the Italian, French, and German campaigns as head doctor in the first group of Moroccan Tabors-Goums.
1945-1946 Back to Morocco, then send on a temporary mission by R. legroux at Institut Pasteur of Iran.There he prepares a new contract with the Iranian government that will sign L. Pasteur Vallery-Radot, R. Legroux and A. Lacassagne on behalf of Institut Pasteur.
1946-1958 Becomes Director of the Institut Pasteur of Iran, where he replans the scientific structures and architecture.There he organizes a national campaign of mass vaccination against small-pox and tuberculosis, the latter with the help of WHO and UNICEF. He founds an agricultural centre for the social rehabilitation of leprous population.
Collaborates with French, American and Soviet research institutes.
1947 Studies a plague epidemic in rural environment in Kurdistan, despite the total absence of rats on these high plateaux.Researches point out the permanence of infection in these foci,, and the role played in this permanence by the presence of rodents showing a high resistance to infection.He comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to look for a real plague reservoir no longer among sensitive species eradicated by infection, but among the semi-resistant species which survive. To prove this theory WHO sets up a research campaign associated with Institut Pasteur of Iran.
1950-57 Becomes member of WHO' rabies committee expert. As such he elaborates a testing program of a new serum antirabic purified and concentrated (called hyperimmun) produced in the USA.These works have permitted to lay down a new way of using serum antirabic.
1956 Member of WHO's expert committee for the plague.
1954 Bellion Prize from Academy of science
1958-1966 M. Baltazard leaves the management of Institut Pasteur of Iran to his Iranian colleague,M.Ghossi and remains his adviser until 1966.
1961 Elected corresponding member of the Academy of medecine, Paris
1966 Back to Institut Pasteur Paris. Without offices nor equipment for two years he keeps running from Paris researches undertaken by his iranian team associated with WHO and remains in contact with Russian and American searchers.
1968 Becomes departmental head of the new medical service of epidemiology of transmittable diseases dealing at the same time research and teaching. Organization of epidemiology courses opened to new subjects such as computing, but above all enriched with his colleagues' and own experience.Continuation of research program previously set up in Brazil, Peru, Burma, Mauritania and with the prospect to enlarge investigations to other countries.
01/09/1971 died in Paris.
Contributors: P. Aslani, P. Atanasiu, M. Bahmanyar, J. K. Bhatnagar, G. Blanc, A. Boué, E.-R. Brygoo, W. Burgdorfer, A. Chabaud, M. Chamsa, D. H. S. Davis, R. Devignat, A. Dodin, M. Eftékhari, M. Fathi, J. P. Fox, C. Gajdusek, M. Ghodssi, G. Girard, M. A. Gohar, K. Habel, A. Habibi, M. M. Kaplan, Y. Karimi, L. Kartman, R. E. Kissling, A. Komarov, H. Koprowski, P. Lépine, L.A. Martin, K. F. Meyer, A. Minou, C. Mofidi, H. H. Mollaret, P. Mostachfi, R. Neel, M. T. Parker, F. Perez-Gallardo, R. Pollitzer, R. Pournaki, F. M. Prince, S. F. Quan, E. Rouzbehi, A. Sabeti, C. Safavi, M. Schaeffer.
References:
- Baltazard (Marcel), Titres et travaux scientifiques, 19 p. dact. polycop., 1966.
- Levaditi (Jean), Vieuchange (Jean), "Marcel Baltazard et les Instituts Pasteur de Paris et de Casablanca", Bulletin de la Société de pathologie exotique, t. 65, n° 2, 1972, pp. 189-194.