[Ergotism in Limoges province around the year 1000].

Saint-Martial, a former bishop in Limoges, is supposed to protect from ergotism. His relies are still publicly shown every 7 year.

[Joys and sorrows of three surgeons from Limoge from the French revolution in the Second Empire].

Léonard Cruveilhier (1760-1836), Bruno Giraud (1768-1811), Léonard Boudrye (1769-1852). The author deals with their biographies during a period marked by wars. Descended from middle-class and students in Paris they were promoted through campaigns and battles.

[Jean-Baptist Tyrbas de Chamberet (1779-1870). Military doctor, actor and witness of his time].

As military physician Tyrbas de Chamberet was a witness of his time. In 1804 he arrived in Paris and became a medical student. Later he followed the army in Italy, Spain and took part to a mission in Poland where cholera epidemic had broken.

[Raymond François Denis Pontier (1788-1854). Tribulations of an army medical officer of noble lineage].

Born from a middle class family in the ancient province of Limousin Pontier was at first an officer of Military Health Service in 1809 and attended thesis in Montpellier in 1832. Prisoner in Russia he walked back to Uzerche and after 1830 he went again to military service during the military operations in Algeria. As Medical Officer in 1852 he took part in the eastern campaign as far as Varna where he found the hospital and died of cholera.

[Gilbert Ballet (1853 - 1916). Reasonable psychiatry].

Gilbert Ballet (1853-1916) was born into a medical family in the French province of Limousin. He completed a brilliant career in Paris hospitals: Resident (1875), Assistant to Professor Charcot of Salpêtrière Hospital (1882), Consultant (1884), Head of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry (1890), and member of the Franch Academy of Medicine (1812). He had been teaching in the "Brain and mental diseases" course since 1891.

[Surgical complications and the legal expert medical evidence of attributability and causality].

The cause-effect relationship is a cornerstone of legal decisions. In the medical sphere, the expert charged with determining the attributability of adverse effects must take into account both the likely pathophysiological mechanism and the chronology, based on common sense. When proven by the expert, attributability--a medical concept--allows the judge to determine the legal implications.

[Nosocomial pathology: medico-legal incidences in surgical practices].

The nosocomial pathology concept includes all the complications taking place while performing a prevention diagnosis or during a medical treatment, proved in relation with the treatment but independent from the original pathology and its course. This notion is acknowledged in the 2002-303 law which concerns the "medical accidents, iatrogenous disease and nosocomial infections" which aetiology and damages are being assessed in the same way by registered medical experts at country level Public and administrative liability relies on the proof of a prejudicial mistake. This mistake being a failure to comply with commitments and means to identify and limit potential risks as well as to limit access to the proved damage while complying with best practice rules and regulations in force.

[Guillaume Dupuytren 1777-1835].

Dupuytren's behaviour as a professor, citizen and man can be understood through his psychoanalytical study. Account of a childhood and teenage years without love his exceptional termper led him to realize an innovative work. As a Balzac's hero he never used any compromise either diplomatic solution and his callousness was at the root of his success in life and his practise and he died in the same way as a real wolf.

[Risk of accidents for a Parisian pedestrian].

The risk of accident for a parisian pedestrian is of reduced frequency and of moderate severity (terrorism and natural disasters not included) according to the statistics of 1999. This is due to security measures and the excellent organisation of assistance to wounded persons. The improvement in protection of pedestrians, even the disabled and elderly persons will soon make Paris the best protected megalopolis of our continent.

[From risk to damage: the limit between chance and fault in medical responsibility].

Rare, but serious, the possible accidents of medical or surgical procedures without fault compromise the doctor patient relationship. A pro-compensation philosophy leads to a drift in the classical concept of prejudicial act. This type of confusion adds a random/aleatory legal risk to the random/aleatory medical risk.

[Home enteral nutrition: functional partnership experience in the network of care of the Centre Médical de Forcilles, 1990-1999].

Since 1990, the home enteral nutrition (HEN) has been experienced by the Centre Médical de Forcilles (CMDF), according to the 1988 and 1993 instructions. This service has a regional vocation and forms an integral part of a partnership system in care including: the prescribing hospital, the usual physician and various specialists. We have a triple objective: 1) To define the structure and the action of this medical service, the only one in France.

[Unpredictable risk and damage compensation in civil process].

UNPREDICTABLE RISK DEFINITION: Any medical or surgical action with diagnostic or therapeutic purpose involves a potential risk of complication, unrelated to the initial pathology or a technical error, but could lead to death or disability. Proof of unpredictable risk without initial fault requires a careful examination of each case by a judicial expert in order to eliminate the complications related to an unskilled surgeon or to poor postoperative care. UNPREDICTABLE RISK COMPENSATION: Conclusions of the Academy: In current French common law, damage compensation can only be obtained in cases where all possible medical means are not implemented and professional fault can be proven.

Differential transferrin receptor density in human colorectal cancer: A potential probe for diagnosis and therapy.

Transferrin receptor density was investigated in human colorectal surgical specimens. Crude membranes were prepared from 23 cancer tumors (adenocarcinoma or malignant villous tumor) and 3 non-cancer tumors (polyadenoma or villous tumor) and 26 adjacent control mucosa. Contrary to non-cancer tumors, Scatchard analysis of 125I-transferrin binding data evidenced higher maximal transferrin binding capacity and lower dissociation constant in cancer tissues (Bmax cancer 1.