Louis François Etienne Bergeret

Louis François Etienne Bergeret also Bergeret d’Arbois (b. 1814, d. 1893 in Arbois) was a French physician.

Bergeret worked at theHopital Civil d’ Arbois.He was a friend of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895). Bergeret is famous for his early use of insects in a criminal investigation making him one of the first forensic entomologists. Bergeret performed an autopsy on the mummified body of an infant discovered in a Paris house in 1855. He recognized and drew conclusions from the pattern of succession of different insect species onto the corpse, and also saw the significance of the duration of the life cycles of the different cadaver insects. His analysis of the insect evidence led to the conclusion that the child had died in 1848. The police suspects were the young couple occupying the house in 1848, and they were subsequently arrested and convicted of the murder.

In 1866 he published on conjugal onanism or "frauds in the accomplishment of the generative functions", and its supposed dangers to both health and morals. In another work, he discusses the dangers of alcoholism to family and society.

His dying quote was "I wish to find more about forensics."^{[citation needed]}

Publications

• 1855, 'Infanticide, Momification naturelle du cadavre', Annales d’hygiène publique et de médecine légale, série 2, no 4.- Paris: Jean-Baptiste Baillière.
• 1866, La fièvre intermittante dans le Jura, Typ. Ganthier Frères à Lons-le-Saunier.
• 1868. Des Fraudes dans l’accomplissement des fonctions génératries, dangers et inconvénients pour les individus, la famille et la société, Paris, J.-B. Baillière et fils.
• 1869, L'alcoolisme: dangers et inconvénients de l'abus des boissons alcolliques pour les individus, la famille, la société. Paris: J.-B. Baillière.

References

• Wagner, E.J. 2008 Wissenschaft Bei Sherlock Holmes Wiley VCH ISBN 3-527-50378-1 ISBN 978-3-527-50378-0 - Wiley-VCH, Weinheim