Magendie, François (1783-1855)

French physician, a pioneer of modern experimental physiology. He helped to introduce into medicine the range of plant-derived compounds known as alkaloids as well as strychnine, morphine and codeine, and quinine. Magendie was born in Bordeaux and studied at Paris, where he became physician to the Hôtel Dieu. Elected a member of the Académie des Sciences 1821, he became its president 1837. In 1831, he was appointed professor of anatomy at the Collège de France. Using extensive vivisection and a certain amount of self-experimentation, Magendie conducted trials on plant poisons, deploying animals to track precise physiological effects. He demonstrated that the stomach's role in vomiting is essentially passive, and analysed emetics. He investigated the role of proteins in human diet; he was interested in olfaction; and he studied the white blood cells. He worked protractedly on the nerves of the spine and the skull - a canal leading from the fourth ventricle is now known as the 'foramen of Magendie'. His numerous works include Elements of Physiology 1816-17.