René Dujarric de la Rivière (1885-1969)

French physician and biologist, born on April 19, 1885 in Excideuil (Dordogne).
Secondary education in Cahors, then in Perpignan. Enrolled in medical training at the Medical School of Bordeaux, then in Lyon where he made friend with A. Lacassagne.
1905-1910 Externship at the Hôpitaux de Paris (Hôpital Necker, hôpital Ténon, Bastion 29 where he met A. Chantemesse, sanatorium of the city of Paris, in Hendaye).
1911 Internship at the Institut Pasteur Hospital. Attended the cours de microbiologie at the Institut Pasteur.
1912-1913 Joined, as a full-worker, the L. Martin's laboratory at the Institut Pasteur. Frequent visitor of the R. Blanchard's laboratory the Faculté de médecine in Paris.
1913 Thesis defense for medical doctorate : Méningites à pseudo-méningocoques et méningites à paraméningocoques (meningitis).
1914-1918 Medical corps officer at the 45th infantry regiment, surgeon general of clinical laboratories, then at the Central Laboratory of the Army.
1918 Discovered that flu was caused by a virus which could be filtrated.
1923-1929 Conducted research on amanita phalloides in L. Lapicque's laboratory at the Sorbonne University.
1926 General secretary at the Journées médicales de Paris, which were organised at the Grand Palais and supervised by F. Widal. Among the members of the honorar y committee : Cl. Régaud, Th. Madsen, E. Roux.
1927 Set up a center for studying blood groups, at the Institut Pasteur.
1928 Became tenured member of the Société de biologie.
1929 Thesis defense for doctorate in natural sciences, which dissertation topic was : Etude physiologique d'un extrait d'amanite phalloïde.
1930 With J. Bordet, he founded the Société Internationale de Microbiologie. Wit h J. Bordet and H. Plotz, he organised the first international congress of microbiology, in Paris, at the Institut Pasteur. Worked on a project to set up a hospital complex in Périgueux.
1934 Appointed member of the recently created commission for sera at the Ministery of Public Health. Among other members: Ch. Broquet, L. Cruveilhier, R. Debré, CH. Dopter, L. Martin, G. Ramon, G. Roussy.
1939-1940 At the beginning of World War II, served as A. Carrel's assistant at the Army's department for scientific and technical research.
1940-1945 Became general secretary of the Institut Pasteur (G. Ramon then J. Tréfouël were directors).
1941 J. Tréfouël made him responsible for finding a suitable place to produce th e vaccine against the epidemic typhus in non-occupied France. He chose the castle of Laroche-Beaulieu and transformed it into an efficient production center.
1945-1958 Appointed assistant manager of the Institut Pasteur (J. Tréfouël was the director, N. Bernard was the deputy director).
1945 Elected member of the Académie de médecine in the Department of Hygiene.
1948 The first French strain of influenza virus was isolated in the laboratory which he created in his service at the Institut Pasteur.
1951-1953 Elected president of the Société mycologique de France.
1954 Elected member of the Académie des sciences at the Department of Rural Economy. He became the vice-president in 1968 and the president in 1969.
1958 Named, with N. Bernard, honorary deputy director at the Institut Pasteur. Expert for the WHO as a representative from France.
Main scientific works on : viruses (flu) ; vegetable toxins (mushroom toxins) ; immunology (blood groups); hygiene.
11/28/1969 He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Publications in collaboration with : G. Cateigne, J. Chevé, Ch. Dopter, J. Dumas , A. Eyquem, L. Gallerand, Cl. Hannoun, S. Ishii, N. Kossovitch, A. Lafaille, P. Millot, L. Podliachouk, Et. Roux, M. Saint-Paul.

Bibliography :
- Dujarric de la Rivière (René), Titres et travaux scientifiques du Dr René Duja rric de la Rivière, Paris, J.-B. Baillière et Fils, 1936, 126 p.

CeRIS' Archives Division (Institut Pasteur)