Dr. jacques forestier july 27, 1890—march 15, 1978

Abstract

Dr. Jacques Forestier was a strong man, intellectually and physically. He was one of the founders of modern rheumatology; his name is synonymous with the rheumatology of our times.He died at a time which was symbolic-the day after he delivered the Keynote Address to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the foundation of the French League Against Rheumatism, of which he had been Secretary for the entire first half of its existence.The long family tradition of medical practice in Aix-les-Bains dating from the early nineteenth century through his father, the founder of the International League Against Rheumatism (with Dr. Van Breemen and Jacques), is continued today by his son, who represents the fifth generation of illustrious physicians.Jacques Forestier studied in Paris and was associated thereafter with the pioneering of a rheumatology clinic at the famous Hopital Cochin. His early investigations included studies of contrast radiography with iodized oil. In the field of rheumatologic therapeutics he introduced gold salts in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This gained him particular reknown. He also perfected a variety of balneologic techniques (hydrologic and radioactive) and developed the early use of balneotherapy as part of the rehabilitation process after reconstructive orthopedic surgery.In the field of diagnostic rheumatology, which bears great names of French medicine such as Charcot and Pierre Marie, he distinguished from ankylosing spondylitis the condition that is now named for him, Forestier's disease, or ankylosing vertebral hyperostosis. He also wrote a pioneer clinical description of what is now called polymyalgia rheumatica (pseudo-polyarthrite rhisomelique) among many other publications on ankylosing spondylitis, chronic rheumatism, and goat.During my specialization in rheumatology at the hospitals Lariboisiere and Cochin in Paris from 1956-

Jacques Forestier (1890–1978) and gold therapy

“…He is best remembered for establishing gold as the first disease‐modifying agent, but he will also be remembered for his description of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. His clinical study of the rheumatic diseases, his enthusiastic teaching, and his fostering of international relations helped to raise the profile of rheumatic disease, and these are emphasised by both his anglophone obituarists 23,24 …”