Adrien Proust (1834-1903) and the Cordon sanitaire

ABSTRACT

Introduction & Objectives: Adrien Proust was a French epidemiologist and hygienist in Paris. He is acknowledged as one of the pioneers of social distancing, quarantine, the modern cordon sanitaire (a barrier to stop the spread of infectious diseases) and confinement, which he called “sequestration“. Materials & Methods: Moreover Adrien Proust was the father of two world famous sons. One is the author Marcel Proust (1871-1922), who wrote one of the most iconic books in French literature “À la recherche du temps perdu”. The younger son was Robert Proust (1873-1935), a well-known urologist in his time, who pioneered perineal prostatectomy after 1900, a procedure therefore nicknamed “proustatectomie” in France. Results: Already as a young doctor Adrien Proust travelled many countries to conduct research on cholera and other infectious diseases and to understand how pandemics are transmitted. He became Professor of Hygiene at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris and was appointed Inspector General of International Health Services from 1974 to 1903. Conclusions: Highlights of his career were public appearances at international conferences in Venice to fight against cholera and plague (“La défense de l'Europe contre le choléra et la peste”) in 1892 and 1897. Adrien Proust addressed the duality of economy and health in the time of pandemics and his pioneering ideas are of high interest for us today in the time of COVID 19.