A Historical Vignette “Be proud of yourself: you have a History!” ENT illuminated by literature. Gustave Flaubert and the glory of Gensoul

Abstract

ENT illuminated by literature. Gustave Flaubert and the glory of Gensoul. Doctor Joseph Gensoul (1797- 1858) has at least two claims to fame as an ENT physician: he was the first to practise the total resection of the superior maxillary bone, and he described a disease that was later to be known as “Ludwig’s angina”. In this paper, we try to project an original light on Gensoul by reference to Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880). We also look at how Flaubert’s celebrity and Gensoul’s glory fared differently.