Georges Danjou

Georges Danjou
Portrait from obituary
Born	François Jules Georges Danjou (1862-06-17)17 June 1862 Limoux, Aude, France
Died	13 May 1926(1926-05-13) (aged 63) 14th arrondissement of Paris, France
Resting place	Fougax-et-Barrineuf, France
Alma mater	University of Paris (Faculty of Medicine)
Occupation(s)	Physician, physiotherapist, military doctor, writer, activist
Spouses	Marie Louise Scheppers ​ ​ (m. 1902)​
Military career
Allegiance	France
Service / branch	French Army
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Awards	Legion of Honour Croix de Guerre 1914–1918

François Jules Georges Danjou (17 June 1862 – 13 May 1926) was a French physician, physiotherapist, military doctor, public health reformer, writer, and vegetarianism activist. He received the Legion of Honour and Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 for his military medical service. He also served as President of the French Vegetarian Society and was the founder of the International Vegetarian Union.

Biography

Early life and education

François Jules Georges Danjou was born in Limoux, Aude, on 17 June 1862. The small village he grew up in was known for its rich history of gold and iron. He pursued his education at the College of Foix. He later studied at the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, part of the University of Paris. In 1887, he successfully defended his thesis on the study of deforming osteoarthropathies in congenital syphilis, for his Doctorate in Medicine.

Military medical career

After completing his medical studies, Danjou joined the French military as a doctor. Early in his career, he served at the Val-de-Grâce military hospital. During this period, he became a member of the Decoeur Mission, where he contracted a severe purulent ophthalmia while treating Bambara natives. Despite undergoing 18 months of treatment, his vision remained significantly weakened.

For his service, he was awarded the Legion of Honour and transferred to the reserve of the active army.

Civilian medical career and advocacy

After leaving active military service, Danjou qualified as a sanitary physician and began working as a ship's doctor. He advocated for significant maritime health reforms. However, his uncompromising reformist stance led to his resignation from this post.

Danjou then redirected his focus to physical education and physiotherapy. He traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied at the prestigious Royal Central Gymnastics Institute. Upon returning to France, he became a vocal critic of outdated practices in French physical and medical education.

Danjoy was also an advocate for vegetarianism. He served as president of the French Vegetarian Society and proposed the creation of the International Vegetarian Union at an international meeting of the Vegetarian Society in 1907. He also founded a vegetarian group in Nice and a Catalonian vegetarian society.

World War I service

At the outbreak of World War I, Danjou volunteered for mobilization. He initially served in the trenches of the Argonne, but his desire for greater involvement led to his deployment to the Armée d'Orient. There, he participated in the retreat from Serbia under extreme conditions, including temperatures as low as −20 °C (−4 °F).

During this campaign, he contracted malaria from mosquitoes near the Vardar River. Despite his illness, he continued to serve. In Greece, he transformed a marshland camp into a model hospital that became a "garden city", where French soldiers were well cared for under his leadership.

For his service, Danjou was promoted to lieutenant colonel, awarded the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918, and made an Officer of the Legion of Honour.

Later life and death

Following the war, Danjou faced significant challenges in re-establishing his civilian medical career in Nice. Despite his struggles, he continued to participate in medical and public health conferences across France, advocating for modernization and reform. His relentless efforts earned him both admiration and opposition, as he often clashed with mediocrity and resistance to change.

Danjou died on 13 May 1926 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. It was suspected that he died due to complications from malaria. He was buried in his native village where a bronze medallion was placed on his tomb with a sculpture by Grégoire Calvet.

Selected publications

• L'Oeuvre de régénération sociale poursuivie par l'Association nationale de préparation des jeunes gens au service militaire, conférence faite, le 3 mai 1905, au palais de la Jetée-Promenade à Nice, par le Dr G. Danjou (1905)
• Radioactivité des eaux thermales de L'Echaillon à Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (1909)
• L'Éducation physique de la femme (Paris: 1913)