Pierre Amalric

Pierre Amalric's father, Edmund, was a general practitioner, and his mother was the daughter of a well-to-do farmer. To the disappointment of his father, during adolescence Pierre was more interested in the humanities, arts and history than pursuing a career in medicine. However, during the German occupation of France in 1940 he worked in his father's clinic, and that year entered medical school in Toulouse. He also joined a liberal arts college to obtain a degree in history. He soon entered a network of resistance to the German occupation under the direction of one of his professors.

From 1944 through 1945, he was assigned to various hospitals and for a short time, he practiced general medicine. Influenced by Professor Calmette, he changed the direction of his career to ophthalmology, and opened a clinic in Albi. This was the beginning of his ophthalmologic career.

In 1969, Amalric invited a group of internationally known ophthalmologists interested in fluorescein angiography to meet in Albi. This led to the formation of the Fluorescein Angiography Society, which subsequently met in Japan, Germany and Italy.

Pierre Amalric was a prolific writer. He published 670 articles, on ophthalmology, history, art, and humanities. His main medical contributions were on choroidal circulation, the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, and a description of the Triangle Syndrome, entered here as Diallinas-Amalric syndrome. He published a book on the history of French ophthalmology.

Amalric's distinguished national awards included Officier de la Légion d'Honneur, Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, Croix de Guerre, Combattant Volontaire de la Résistance, and Officier des Palmes Académiques. He was also elected to the French Academy of Medicine, and received six distinguished international awards.

Amalric's main interests were photography, rare books, history and the humanities.

The information about Pierre Amalric presented here is taken from the obituary by Paul C. Wetzig. In it, Wetzig gives this description of Amalric as a person: "Pierre possessed the high qualities of a truly great person and was regarded by many as a genius with a great sense of humour and wit. His capacity for work is demonstrated by his many lectures and publications. He enjoyed a full, productive life and appreciated the fantastic changes that had occurred on earth during his lifetime."

We thank Andre Trombeta and Patrick Jucker-Kupper for information submitted.

• The Galezowski tradition in Paris.
  Documenta Ophthalmologica, Den Haag, 1999, 98 (1): 105-113.
• C. Wetzig:
  Pierre Amalric, MD (1923-1999). Archives of Ophthalmology, 2000, 118: 448.
• G. Coscas:
  À la mémoire de Pierre Amalric.
  Journal français d'ophtalmologie, Paris, January 2000, 23 (1): 9-12.