Jean Astruc

Jean Astruc ( born March 19, 1684 Sauve, † March 5, 1766 in Paris) was a French physician, professor of medicine and founder of modern biblical criticism of the Pentateuch.

The son of a Reformed pastor of Jewish descent in 1753 published in Brussels Conjectures sur les mémoires originaux, dont il que Moyse s'est servi pour paroit composer le livre de la Genčse ( " guesses about the original sources, which Moses served to the book to write the Book of Genesis "). In it, he themed the difference a Elohist and Yahwist a source in the Pentateuch and thus became the founder of modern Pentateuch.

At the age of 19, he finished his medical studies in 1710 he was appointed professor of anatomy at Toulouse and in 1716 professor of medicine in Montpellier, he replaced Pierre Chirac ( 1650-1732 ). In Montpellier, he was temporarily represented in his capacity as professor of anatomy by the physician and anatomist Antoine Ferrein in his teaching, as suppléant.

Astruc was involved as a doctor especially with the medical surveillance of prostitution. From this work emerged his multi-volume work on the description of the venereal diseases, which appeared as a translation in England. In this he provides, among others, a precise first description of genital herpes and examined its transferability.

Works

• De morbis venereis. Paris 1736 (8 volumes)
• A Treatise of Venereal Diseases. London 1754