How did Dupuytren’s contracture get its name?

Dupuytren’s, pronounced doop-a-trons, is a disorder that causes the formation of an inflammatory nodule that makes your finger contract down toward the palm. The condition was named after the scientist who first studied it.

Viking’s Disease 

The disorder originated with the Vikings in Scandinavia, in countries like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who began conquering foreign lands and settled in Scotland for a duration of about 500 years. The Vikings caused Dupuytren’s to become established in Scotland, where it is still found within the Scottish population. 

THE BARON GUILLAUME DUPUYTREN

Dr. Guillaume Dupuytren was a famous military surgeon and French anatomist who is known for his description of Dupuytren’s contracture. The disorder was named after him because he was the first who operated on this disease in 1831. He later gave a lecture on permanent retractions of flexed fingers and published in detail about it in “The Lancet” in 1834.

Dupuytren’s name has been applied to at least 12 different fractures, multiple minor diseases, operations, and instruments. Guillaume Dupuytren is acknowledged as the greatest French surgeon and an ambitious man. 

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