Joseph Récamier

Who was Joseph Récamier?

Joseph-Claude-Anthelme Récamier was a French gynecologist.

He was born in Cressin-Rochefort, Ain. For much of his professional career he was associated with the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris, where in 1806 he became chief physician. He was also a professor at the Collège de France and a member of the Faculté de médecine.

Récamier is credited with the popularization of several instruments in gynecological medicine, including the curette, vaginal speculum and the uterine sound. In his 1829 treatise Recherches sur le traitement du cancer, he coined the term "metastasis" as a definition for the spread of cancer.

"Récamier's operation" is a term used for curettage of the uterus.