Louis Camille Maillard

Louis Camille Maillard
French chemist and physician
Born	(1878-02-04)4 February 1878 Pont-à-Mousson, France
Died	12 May 1936(1936-05-12) (aged 58) Paris, France
Known for	Maillard reaction

Louis Camille Maillard (/maɪˈjɑːr/ my-YAR; French: [majaʁ]; 4 February 1878 – 12 May 1936) was a French physician and chemist.

Early days

Portrait of professor Louis Maillard in his youth in 1903.

He was admitted to the Faculty of Science in the University of Nancy at the age of 16. Eventually his prominence in chemistry, among other natural sciences, led him to join the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris as professor Armand Gautier's protégé.

Scientific contributions

In Paris, his work on physiology, in particular the metabolism of urea and kidney illnesses, led him to introduce new theories about "urogenic imperfection" and the concept of the "coefficient of Maillard" or "index of ureogenic imperfection." His ideas proved very useful in the diagnosis of kidney disorders. In 1912, he undertook studies of the reaction between amino acids and sugars. This work is considered one of his major contributions, and the Maillard reaction was named after him. For this variety of work he received several awards including the French Academy of Medicine award in 1914.

Final years

Maillard enrolled in the French army during the First World War, but his health was adversely affected. After the war, Maillard abruptly left Paris in 1919 to occupy a position with the Department of Pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine Sciences in Algiers (Algeria). During this time, he ceased practically all research.

He died on 12 May 1936 while serving as a juror in Paris.

References

• Site attributed to LC Maillard (English version is fair)
• "Louis Camille Maillard". Louis Camille Maillard, « bienfaiteur de l’humanité ». Archived from the original on October 27, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2005. (in French)
• Website of the International Maillard Reaction Society