Armand Frappier

Armand Frappier, CC GOQ OBE MSRC (November 26, 1904 – December 17, 1991) was a physician, microbiologist, and expert on tuberculosis from Quebec, Canada.

Born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, the son of Arthur-Alexis Frappier and Bernadette Codebecq, his mother died in 1923 from tuberculosis. This greatly affected him and he pursued a career devoted to fighting this tueuse de maman (mother killer). In 1924, he received a Bachelor of Arts and, in 1930, he received a medical degree from the Université de Montréal. In 1933, he obtained a Bachelor of Science also from the Université de Montréal.

In 1938, he founded the Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène de Montréal - following the model of the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Connaught Laboratories of the University of Toronto (Malissard, 1998; 1999a, 1999b, 2000)- the first French-language school of hygiene in the world, and served as its director for 38 years. It was renamed Institut Armand-Frappier in 1975.

He was instrumental in the fight against tuberculosis in Canada and as one of the first researchers to confirm the safety and usefulness of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine.

In 1929, he married Thérèse Ostiguy. They had four children: Lise, Monique, Michèle, and Paul.

Honours

• He was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire by King George VI, upon the recommendation of the Canadian government.
• In 1969, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
• In 1985, he was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
• In 1993, the Quebec government created the Prix Armand-Frappier in his honour, given every year to a scientist in recognition of his or her career.
• He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• On January 17, 2000, Canada Post honoured him with a stamp entitled, Armand Frappier: Champion Disease Fighter.
• In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.^[1]

References

• Malissard, P. (1998), « La longue controverse de la vaccination antituberculeuse au Canada : le Bacille Calmette Guérin (bcg), 1925-1975 », Canadian Bulletin of the History of Medicine/Bulletin canadien d'histoire de la médecine, vol. 15, p. 85-126.
• Malissard, P. (1999a), « Les centres universitaires de production et de recherche en microbiologie au Canada ou savoir se rendre utile», Bulletin d'histoire politique, vol. 7, no 3, p. 40-50.
• Malissard, P. (1999b), Quand les universitaires se font entrepreneurs. Les Laboratoires Connaught et l'Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène de l'Université de Montréal, 1914-1972, thèse de doctorat, Université du Québec à Montréal.
• Malissard, P. (2000), « Les "Start-Up" de jadis : la production de vaccins au Canada » Sociologie et sociétés, vol. 32, n° 1, p. 93-106. https://www.erudit.org/revue/socsoc/2000/v32/n1/001473ar.pdf
• "Dr. Armand Frappier (1904-1991)". Saskatchewan Lung Association. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2005.
• "Abridged biography of Dr. Armand Frappier (PDF)" (PDF). Armand Frappier Museum. Retrieved June 3, 2005.