Centenary of the Death of Elie Metchnikoff: a Visionary and an Outstanding Team Leader

+ MODEL MICINF4402_proof ■ 10 June 2016 ■ 1/19

64 65 1 66 2 Microbes and Infection xx (2016) 1e19 67 3 www.elsevier.com/locate/micinf 68 4 69 5 70 6 71 7 Centenary of the death of Elie Metchnikoff: A visionary and an outstanding 72 8 73 9 Q6 team leader 74 10 75 11 a, b 76 12 Q5 Jean-Marc Cavaillon *, Sandra Legout 77 13 78 a 14 Unit Cytokines & Inflammation, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France 79 b 15 Centre de Ressources en Information Scientifique, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France 80 16 81 17 Received 22 April 2016; accepted 26 May 2016 Available online ▪▪▪ 82 18 83 19 84 20 85 21 Abstract 86 22 87 23 Elie Metchnikoff passed away on July 15th, 1916. He is considered to be the father of phagocytes, cellular innate immunity, probiotics, and 88 24 89 25 gerontology. In all of these fields, he was a visionary. To achieve such a notability and produce so many masterpieces, Metchnikoff used more than 30 animal species to support his findings, and his pasteurian laboratory published more than 200 papers in the Annales de l’Institut Pasteur. 90 26 91 27 As a wonderful team leader and a great mentor, during his 28 years at Institut Pasteur, he welcomed and supervised more than 100 young trainees.Trained as an embryologist, he contributed to the birth of immunology and to the understanding of physiology and pathology. Indeed, 92 28 93 Metchnikoff and his team investigated inflammation in guinea pigs, rats, frogs; studied infectious diseases in monkeys, caimans, geese; 29 94 investigated aging in parrots, dogs, humans; proposed hypotheses to understand age-associated senility using rabbits and humans; developed 30 95 germ free tadpoles, flies, chicks; studied the gut flora in bats, horses, birds, humans; and popularized the use of probiotics as a tool to delay the 31 96 32 deleterious effects of toxic compounds derived from putrefactive gut bacteria. He was also a philosopher and penned essays on human 97 33 disharmony and on pessimism and optimism. 98 © 34 2016 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. 99 35 100 36 101 37 Keywords: Phagocytes; Macrophages; Gerontology; Microbiota; Aging; Probiotic 102 38 103 39 104 40 105 41 ' 106 42 1. The centenary of Elie Metchnikoff s death scientist. This is all the more remarkable because Metchnikoff 107 ' 43 was a member of the editorial board of the Annales de l Institut 108 44 Hundreds of articles and numerous books have already Pasteur from 1890 to his death in 1916, and Metchnikoff and 109 45 been published on Elie Metchnikoff, and historians have his numerous lieutenants, the members of his laboratory, 110 46 attempted to critically examine his research in terms of its published more than 200 papers in the Annales de l'Institut 111 47 genesis, conceptual foundations, and scientific impact [1e4]. Pasteur. Amazingly, around one hundred trainees and col- 112 48 113 49 Thus, while we will include here information previously leagues from all around the world published in the Annales de e ' “ 114 50 published about his life, career, and contributions [5 13],we l Institut Pasteur acknowledging the work as from the labo- 115 ” 51 will offer new perspectives on his numerous investigations ratory of E. Metchnikoff . This was a different period in 116 52 through the publications of collaborators who were working in research, when trainees did not fight to be the 3rd or 4th co- 117 53 his laboratory. For the centenary of the death of this giant, author, when the head of the laboratory did not consider 118 54 “Microbes and Infection”, which is the descendent of the putting his name as senior author, when scientists were not 119 55 ' 120 56 Annales de l Institut Pasteur, wished to pay tribute to this great concerned with impact factor and instead published their most important discoveries in their most friendly journal. In all of 121 57 122 58 these reports, the large number of animal species Metchnikoff 123 59 * and his lieutenants used is striking. Like most of their col- 124 60 Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (J.-M. Cavaillon). leagues, by the end of nineteenth century, they rarely used 125 61 126 62 127 63 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.micinf.2016.05.008 1286-4579/© 2016 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. 128

Please cite this article in press as: Cavaillon J-M, Legout S, Centenary of the death of Elie Metchnikoff: A visionary and an outstanding team leader, Microbes and Infection (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.micinf.2016.05.008 MICINF4402_proof ■ 10 June 2016 ■ 2/19

2 J.-M. Cavaillon, S. Legout / Microbes and Infection xx (2016) 1e19

1 mice. Instead, they worked with species such as dogs, pigeons, The result was remarkable and conclusive, for within a very 66 2 rabbits, donkeys, pigs, guinea pigs, bighorn sheep, or even short space of time the animals began to show all the signs of 67 3 68 foxes. This was indeed fortunate, because Bernard Gaspard decrepitude and old age, and died from pre-mature senility”. 4 e ç e “ 69 5 (1788 1871), Fran ois Magendie (1783 1855), Stephane Brandreth made an accurate description of the scientist. His 70 6 Tarnier (1828e1897), Saturnin Arloing (1846e1911), Victor head was covered with a wild, unkempt mass of hair, which, 71 7 Feltz (1835e1893), Leon Coze (1819e1896), Carl J. Salo- with a quick, impatient movement of his long, thin hands, he 72 8 monsen (1847e1924), and Nikolai F. Gamaleia (1859e1949), kept brushing back from his broad forehead. A pair of large, 73 9 who contributed to the demonstration of the relationship round spectacles bridged a very prominent nasal organ, and 74 10 among putrefaction, bacteria, microbial products, sepsis and through the glasses there sparkled two of the brightest, keenest 75 11 76 eyes I have ever seen. His features twitched with much inward 12 death, would have failed to do so if they had been working 77 13 with mice, which are highly resistant to bacterial products and excitement, and from his chin there fell a long, straggling 78 14 sepsis [14]. When M. Cahanesco from Romania studied the beard plentifully streaked with grey.” No doubt that Brandreth 79 15 bacterial vaginal flora in Metchnikoff's lab, he noticed that fell in love, “Ilias Metchnikoff is certainly “possessed,” but 80 16 Staphyloccous aureus could kill rabbits and guinea pigs upon not with an evil demon. The spirit that transfigures him, that 81 17 intreaperitoneal injection but giant diplodococcus did not makes itself felt in his clear brain, his bright eye, and his 82 18 harm mice [15]. In 1888, Metchnikoff sent a letter to Duclaux harmonious and illuminating speech, is the noble genius of 83 19 84 about a controversial issue he had with George Nuttall science applied to the cause of the human race.” To support 20 e “ e 85 21 (1862 1937): Finally, regarding the choice of the animals to his enthusiasm, he quoted Max von Gruber (1853 1927), an 86 22 use for the experiment, you [Duclaux] believe that Mr. Nuttall Austrian bacteriologist who discovered specific agglutination: 87 23 was wrong to choose mice to test the strength of the anthrax “Metchnikoff would seem to have been specially created for 88 24 virus, but you have not noticed, I believe that he seeks to the sole purpose of making fruitful scientific discoveries, but 89 25 demonstrate the inaccuracy of my results on the lost of viru- he is far more than a prominent scientist; he is a great and 90 26 lence in rabbits by experiments made with mice.” good man, one of the loveliest incarnations of those enthusi- 91 27 92 Elie Metchnikoff was 71 when he was transferred from the astic beings so frequently to be found amongst his own race 28 ' ” 93 29 hospital of Institut Pasteur to Louis Pasteurs apartment after -Slavs. Metchnikoff is an embellishment to mankind. ]. Con- 94 30 his health seriously deteriorated due to heart disease. He told stantin Levaditi, who worked with Metchnikoff, further 95 31 Pasteur, “See how my life is bound with Institut Pasteur. I have defined the character: “Convinced pacifist, for him, life had 96 32 worked here for years; I am nursed here during my illness; in only one goal: scientific research. My master lived in a world 97 33 order to complete the connection, I ought to be incinerated in apart, made of art and philosophy, for which the discovery of 98 34 the great oven where our dead animals are burnt, and my novelties was dominant . Musician, he was at the bottom of his 99 35 100 ashes could be kept in an urn in one of the cupboards in the soul. He also loved painting … Outstanding character, sci- 36 ” 101 37 library [16]. Emile Roux, the director of Institut Pasteur entist of genius, scholar, a tireless researcher, philosopher also 102 38 thought it was a gruesome joke, but Olga, his wife, confirmed and above all Slavic to the end of his soul.” Emile Roux was a 103 39 the last will of her husband. On July 15th 1916, at 5:30 pm, colleague, a close friend and an admirer of Metchnikoff, as 104 40 Metchnikoff took his last breath after 28 years at Institut well. For his jubilee, Roux stated: “The institute owes you 105 41 Pasteur where he had been deputy-director since 1904 (Fig. 1). much, you brought the prestige of your reputation, and your 106 42 He, the pacifist, was dying the day after the celebration of the work and that of your students have greatly contributed to its 107 43 108 glory”. 44 Bastille day, when French soldiers were marching in Paris [18]. 109 45 before going back to the war front. Obituaries were published Another description was given by Alexandre Besredka 110 46 in numerous famous scientific journals such as The Chemical (1870e1940) in his book published in 1921 entitled “The 111 47 News and Journal of Physical Science, The British Medical story of an idea - The works of Elie Metchnikoff”. Alexandre 112 48 Journal, The Lancet, La Presse Medicale, the Annales de Besredka was from Odessa and made a great career at Institut 113 49 l'Institut Pasteur, and also in the lay press as in the front page Pasteur after he joined Metchnikoff's laboratory.1 Having 114 50 of “Le Figaro”, and also in the United States or in Russia. His 115 51 116 52 popularity remained strong as illustrated by a whole page in 117 53 the New York Times (April 30th, 1922) after his biography 1 Interestingly Metchnikoff asked Besredka to undertake medical studies 118 54 written, by his wife, was translated into English. Part of his before joining the lab. This demonstrates that Metchnikoff, like Pasteur, 119 55 popularity was due to his investigation of the use of probiotics supported the complementarity of the two professional tracts of research and 120 56 to limit the effects of aging. On January 1910, Charles J. medicine, despite the fact that they themselves were not physicians. They fully 121 supported Charles Richet (1850e1935), Nobel prize winner in 1913 for his 57 Brandreth after having visited him, wrote a spectacular article 122 58 discovery of anaphylaxis, when he stated in 1888 during his inaugural lecture 123 in the London Magazine about “The man who prolongs life” “ 59 at the Paris Medical School: To oppose the physician to the physiologist and 124 “It is interesting to note how Metch- the scientist to the clinician, means that one has understood neither physiology 60 [17]. Brandreth wrote, 125 nor medicine.” Of note, Besredka is considered as the father of desensitization 61 nikoff was able to demonstrate the effect on the system of the 126 to prevent anaphylatoxic reaction, but he also did key experiments in the field 62 putrefactive microbes. From the dejections of aged and 127 of immunity to bacteria when he obtained the very first anti-endotoxin anti- 63 128 decrepit persons he extracted the putrefactive microbes, and bodies in the world [19] Rietschel ET, Cavaillon JM. Richard Pfeiffer and 64 prepared an “intensified” culture which, he proceeded to inject Alexandre Besredka: creators of the concept of endotoxin and anti-endotoxin. 129 65 into the system of a number of young gorillas and baboons. Microbes Infect 2003; 5:1407e14. 130

Download Persian Version:

https://daneshyari.com/article/5673478

Daneshyari.com