Étienne Lancereaux

Étienne Lancereaux (November 27, 1829 – October 26, 1910) was a French physician born in Brécy-Brières. He is remembered for pioneer contributions made in the understanding of diabetes.

He studied medicine in Reims and Paris, receiving his medical doctorate in 1862. From 1869 he served as médecin des hôpitaux, working in various hospitals in Paris. In 1872 he earned his agrégation, and later in his career, he was appointed president of the Académie Nationale de Médecine. His best known student was Nicolae Paulescu (1869–1931), the discoverer of insulin.

Through clinical-pathological research, Lancereaux believed that the cause of diabetes mellitus was located in the pancreas. In 1877 he published a paper in which he coined the term diabète pancréatique (pancreatic diabetes). His ideas in regards to diabetes were later confirmed through experimentation by Oskar Minkowski (1858–1931) and Josef von Mering (1849–1908). Traité de l'herpétisme, Paris 1883. Traité des maladies du foie et du pancréas, Paris 1899. Alcoolisme, Paris 1907. Traité de la goutte, Paris 1910.