Casimir Davaine

Casimir-Joseph Davaine (19 March 1812 – 14 October 1882) was a French physician known for his work in the field of microbiology. He was a native of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, department of Nord.

Casimir Davaine
Casimir Davaine
Born	(1812-03-19)19 March 1812
Died	14 October 1882(1882-10-14) (aged 70)
Nationality	French
Known for	Bacillus anthracis
Scientific career
Fields	Microbiology

In 1850, Davaine along with French pathologist Pierre François Olive Rayer, discovered a certain microorganism in the blood of diseased and dying sheep.^[1][2] In the diseased blood, Rayer and Davaine observed the bacillus that is known today as Bacillus anthracis, the causative bacterium of anthrax. Soon afterwards, Rayer published a description of the bacillus in a paper titled, Inoculation du sang de rate (1850).^[3][4]

In 1863, Davaine demonstrated that the bacillus could be directly transmitted from one animal to another. He was able to identify the causative organism, but was unaware of its true etiology.^[5][6] Later on, German microbiologist Robert Koch investigated the etiology of Bacillus anthracis, and discovered its ability to produce "resting spores" that could stay alive in the soil for a long period of time to serve as a future source of infection.^[7]

Casimir Davaine is also credited for pioneer work in the study of sepsis (blood poisoning).^[8]