Career
Beginning in 1863 he was an interne of medicine in Paris, later serving as an aide of anatomy (1864) and as a prosector to the medical faculty (1867). In 1867 he received his doctorate with a thesis on venous circulation of the foot and leg, two years later obtaining his agrégation in surgery with the dissertation Des anomalies du testicule (testicular anomalies). In 1872 he became a surgeon to the "Bureau central", followed by a promotion as chirurgien des hôpitaux in 1876.
Subsequently, he was appointed professor to the medical faculty in Paris.
Second chair of clinical surgery at Hôpital Necker (1890-1904), followed by an assignment as chair of clinical surgery at the Hôtel-Dieu (1904-1908).