About Antoine Marfan
Lived 1858 – 1942 (aged 83). Antoine Marfan was a French physician and pediatrician.
Antoine Bernard-Jean Marfan (; June 23, 1858 – February 11, 1942) was a French paediatrician.
He was born in Castelnaudary (département Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) to Antoine Prosper Marfan and Adélaïde Thuries. He began his medical studies in Toulouse, where he stayed for two years before moving to Paris. He graduated in 1886, his education having been interrupted by a period of military service. In 1903 he became a professor of infantile hygiene in the paediatric clinic of the University of Paris. During the same year, he became a member of the Académie de Médecine.
In 1896, Marfan described a hereditary disorder of connective tissue that was to become known as Marfan syndrome, the term first being used by Henricus Jacobus Marie Weve (1888–1962) of Utrecht in 1931. Today, it is thought that Marfan's patient (a five-year-old girl named Gabrielle) was affected by a condition known as congenital contractural arachnodactyly, and not Marfan's syndrome.
Further eponymous medical conditions named after Antoine Marfan include: Dennie–Marfan syndrome Marfan's hypermobility syndrome Marfan's law Marfan's sign Marfan's symptom Marfan–Madelung syndrome
Marfan also had interests in the paediatric aspects of tuberculosis, nutrition and diphtheria. With Jacques-Joseph Grancher (1843–1907) and Jules Comby (1853–1947), he was co-author of Traité des maladies de l’enfance. From 1913 to 1922, he was publisher of the journal Le Nourrisson.
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Important facts
People in Antoine Marfan's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Antoine Marfan's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Antoine Marfan?
French pediatrician (1858–1942)
When was Antoine Marfan born?
Antoine Marfan was born on 23 June 1858 in Castelnaudary.
When did Antoine Marfan die?
Antoine Marfan died on 10 February 1942 in Paris.
What was Antoine Marfan's occupation?
Antoine Marfan was a physician and pediatrician.
What nationality was Antoine Marfan?
Antoine Marfan was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Antoine Marfan. https://biography.guide/antoine-marfan/
MLA: "Antoine Marfan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/antoine-marfan/.
Chicago: "Antoine Marfan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/antoine-marfan/.
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