Jules Germain Cloquet (1790–1883)–Drawing Master and Anatomist

Abstract

Jules Germain Cloquet, the famed French anatomist, surgeon, and professor, may not be remembered as one of the pioneers of hernia surgery; however, his contributions have provided surgeons with detailed anatomical descriptions that have been useful in developing innovative surgical techniques. Cloquet has many eponyms associated with him, including: Cloquet's fascia, Cloquet's gland or lymph node of Cloquet, Cloquet's hernia, Cloquet's ligament, Cloquet's canal, and Cloquet's septum. A man blessed with artistic talents, Cloquet was the author of many theses, as well as anatomical volumes that were comparable to the works of other great anatomists of his time. His first thesis, entitled Recherches Anatomiques sur les Hernies de l'Abdomen, described the locations where inguinal and crural herniae are more likely to occur in terms of the cremaster muscle, the peritoneum, and the spermatic vessels. Wax sculpture training required extensive knowledge in the natural sciences, anatomy, physiology, and pathology, as were acquired by Jules Cloquet as a pupil of Achille-Cléophas Flaubert, the father of the famous French novelist Gustave Flaubert (author of Madame Bovary). Cloquet attracted many pupils with his innovative teaching style and implementation of anatomical preparations, drawings, and sketches on the black board with chalk. The legacy of this famed individual lives on today in the anatomical structures described by Cloquet.