Evaluation of whole-genome enrichment and sequencing of T. pallidum from FFPE samples after 75 years.

The recent developments in genomic sequencing have permitted the publication of many new complete genome sequences of Treponema pallidum pallidum, the bacterium responsible for syphilis, which has led to a new understanding of its phylogeny and diversity. However, few archived samples are available, because of the degradability of the bacterium and the difficulties in preservation. We present a complete genome obtained from a Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) organ sample from 1947, kept at the Strasbourg Faculty of Medicine. This is the preliminary, proof-of concept study of this collection/biobank of more than 1.5 million FFPE samples and the evaluation of the feasibility of genomic analyses. We demonstrate here that even degraded DNA from fragile bacteria can be recovered from 75-year-old FFPE samples and therefore propose that such collections as this one can function as sources of biological material for genetic studies of pathogens, cancer, or even the historical human population itself.

[A new life for old anatomical wakes]. / Nouvelle vie pour les moulages anatomiques anciens.

Wax mouldings exemplifying human body and cutaneous diseases were produced and used from the 18th to the 20th century. They were mainly used for teaching and also for exhibitions to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Many medical mouldings are still shown in European museums. Their originality and their artistic value encourage us to preserve them and also benefit of them as a new old tool to teach. Thanks to modern applications of imagery we show here how such historical pieces find a new life.

Les moulages en cire étaient largement utilisés dans les facultés de médecine entre le XVIIIe et le début du XXe siècle pour l'enseignement de l'anatomie et des dermatoses. Mais on pouvait également les voir dans certaines expositions itinérantes, dont l'objectif était d'informer un public large sur les maladies sexuellement transmises. De nos jours, de nombreuses pièces sont exposées dans différents musées en Europe. La qualité technique et artistique et l'originalité des moulages en cire motivent non seulement leur conservation mais aussi la redécouverte de leur potentiel de nouveau-vieil outil d'enseignement. Grâce aux applications modernes de l'imagerie, nous montrons ici comment de telles pièces historiques trouvent une nouvelle vie.

[Inoculation at 18th century Geneva]. / "De petites considérations doivent-elles arrêter lorsqu' il s' agit d' un grand bien général?" L'inoculation à Genève au XVIIIe siècle.

As it was introduced in 18th century Europe, the smallpox inoculation, presented by its supporters as a masterpiece of enlightened rationality , gave rise to passionate philosophical, medical, and theological debates. The history of inoculation deals with public health as well as individual experience and medical, progress. Too young to provide us with first-hand evidence, children are central, yet absent figures in this history. Focusing essentially on Geneva, this article firstly indicates what, according to doctors, the theoretically ideal age to be inoculated is. It then turns to the inoculators, who hesitate to operate on children because of their weak constitution, for fear of the negative publicity a failure would bring. It finally presents the reception of inoculation by the public within two different contexts: the public initiatives taken in Geneva in the field of inoculation, and the case of a family drama ensuing from the failure of an inoculation. The purpose of this article is to: (1) summarize the chronology and social aspects of the history of inoculation in Geneva; (2) demonstrate that the reputation of the inoculating physician is a fundamental parameter guiding parents in their choice; and (3) raise the question of what inoculation can teach us about the perception of childhood during the Ancien Régime.

[Regulations in the struggle against the plague. Geneva facing the Great Plague of Marseille (1720-1723)]. / Un règlement pour lutter contre la peste. Genève face à la grande peste de Marseille (1720-1723).

In 1721, when Geneva is threatened by a terrible epidemic devastating the south of France, the physician Jean-Jaques Manget states that "The Magistrates must establish a good Policy in time of plague"; and asks himself how it is possible to carry on "without good Regulations?". The State Archives of Geneva hold a draft consisting of 72 articles concerning health policy meant to be applied in case of plague. This is a remarkable document that enables an overview of the city's organisation in times of plague; it also allows to analyse some of the medical and sanitary theories this organisation is based on.

[Pertinence of the Elias approach in history of medicine]. / Pertinence de l'approche eliasienne en histoire de la médecine.

Norbert Elias has notably influenced the historiography of the Early Modern Period since the 1970s. In the course of the borrowing of his concepts by different disciplines, the uniqueness of these concepts was nevertheless altered. This article aims to show that Elias' 'Sociology of configurations' proposed an original point of view on Longue Durée in history. It thus suggests: 1) to re-evaluate the historical dimension of Elias' sociology; 2) to question eventual contributions to present-day research to the history of medicine and health.