Armand Trousseau--some of his contributions to neurology

Trousseau made a remarkably large number of original clinical contributions to medicine and neurology. Best known are Trousseau's syndrome, the combination of venous thrombosis with visceral carcinoma; tache cérébrale, the red streak seen on scratching the skin in acute meningitis; and Trousseau's sign, the cardinal physical sign in tetany. His pioneering work in tracheostomy in diphtheria, haemochromatosis, Parkinson's disease, aphasia and chorea are but a few of his outstanding clinical studies. Based on his famously comprehensive text, Clinique Médicale de l'Hôtel Dieu, this paper highlights a few of his discoveries. The name of Armand Trousseau must stand alongside those of Charcot, Oppenheim, Jackson and Gowers in the annals of neurology.