SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Robert Debré

1882-12-07 – 1978-04-29

Life & Legacy

Robert Anselme Debré (7 December 1882 – 29 April 1978) was a French physician (pediatrician) at Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris.
The largest pediatric hospital in Paris, the Robert-Debré Hospital - located in the North-East part of Paris (19th arrondissement) - is named after him.
Debré was born in Sedan, Ardennes. A member of the Académie de Médecine, he was a colleague and close friend of professors Jean Quenu and Albert Besson, who in 1950 identified cats to be the natural reservoir of the Cat scratch disease.
He is the father and grandfather of influential French government ministers; see Debré family.
In 1946, he wrote with Prof. Paul Rohmer a famous manual entitled "Traité de Pathologie Infantile" (2500 pages, 2 volumes) which became a reference for a whole generation of pediatricians.

Occupation & Career

physician, researcher

Accomplishments, Inventions & Publications

Léon Bernard Foundation Prize; Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour; Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms; Croix de guerre 1914–1918; Croix de guerre 1939–1945; Commander of the Order of Leopold; Commander of the Order of Sports Merit; Order of the Southern Cross; Knight Commander of the Order of Alfonso X; Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

Legacy Highlights

Honors & Awards

Commander of the French Order of Academic Palms · Commander of the Order of Leopold · Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic · Commander of the Order of Sports Merit · Croix de guerre 1914–1918 · Croix de guerre 1939–1945 · Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour · Knight Commander of the Order of Alfonso X · Léon Bernard Foundation Prize · Order of the Southern Cross

Employer

French National Institute of Health and Medical Research

Organizations & Memberships

Académie Nationale de Médecine · American Academy of Arts and Sciences · Centre international de l'enfance · French Academy of Sciences · Polish Academy of Sciences · Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium