Charles Deval

Charles Deval (December 6, 1806 – April 9, 1862) was a French ophthalmologist born in Pera, Constantinople, He was the son of dragoman Constantin Deval (1767–1816). He practiced medicine in Paris, where he studied under Frédéric Jules Sichel (1802–1868).

Deval is largely remembered for his written works on ophthalmic medicine, particularly the 1844 Traité de Chirurgie Oculaire, which was only the second French work devoted exclusively to eye surgery. This book was important because it helped introduce German and Austrian ophthalmic practices into French medicine. Prior to this publication, descriptions regarding methods of ophthalmological surgery practiced in these countries were not yet available in the French language. This book was a result of Deval's studies in Vienna with Friedrich Jäger von Jaxtthal (1784–1871) and Anton von Rosas (1791–1855). Included in his treatise were explanations of medical innovations developed by German surgeons Louis Stromeyer (1804–1876) and Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1792–1847).

Another important written work by Deval was the 1862 Traité théorique et pratique des maladies des yeux, which was a treatise on diseases of the eye, and a culmination of his experiences working with over 20,000 cases in ophthalmic medicine. (Note: Deval's treatise is not to be confused with Louis-Auguste Desmarres' 1847 "Traité théorique et pratique des maladies des yeux".)^[1]

Selected writings

• Deux années à Constantinople et en Morée (1825-1826)
• Traité de Chirurgie Oculaire (1844)
• Traité de l'amaurose ou de la goutte-sereine (1851)
• Traité théorique et pratique des maladies des yeux (1862)

References

• This article is based on a translation of an article from the French Wikipedia.
• Louis du Chalard & Antoine Gautier, Une carrière atypique : de l'orientalisme à l'ophtalmologie : le docteur Charles Deval (1806 - 1862), in Orients, Bulletin de l'association des anciens élèves et amis des langues orientales, juin 2009, p. 43-63.
• ILAB Online Catalogues description of "Traité de Chirurgie Oculaire".