Georges Phillipe Trousseau
Encyclopedia
Georges Phillipe Trousseau (1833–1894) was a French
physician who became the royal doctor of the Kingdom of Hawaii
, and engaged in a variety of agricultural ventures.
on May 1, 1833. His father was pioneering internist Armand Trousseau
(1801–1867).
He claimed to have served in the army during the French Revolution of 1848
known as the "June days".
In 1854 he married Geneviève Edma Vaunois. Their sons were ophthalmologist Armand Henri Trousseau (1856–1910) and Rene Adolphe Trousseau (1857–?). He and his wife legally separated by 1865.
He followed his father's profession and became a physician in 1858.
. At some time he went to New Zealand
, and then to the Hawaiian Islands
in May 1872. There he became known with the slightly less French-sounding name George P. Trousseau. Perhaps coincidentally, his father's colleague Philippe Ricord
had a nephew who took the name John Ricord
when he came to Hawaii in the 1840s.
President of the board of health and Minister of the Interior Ferdinand W. Hutchinson consulted Trousseau when Kamehameha V
became ill, but the king died that December. His successor, King Lunalilo
, was elected by the legislature. Since Lunalilo was also a patient of Trousseau, his influence grew.
On February 4, 1873 Trousseau was appointed port physician of Honolulu, and to the Hawaii board of health.
On March 18, 1873 he officially became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii
.
One of his first public health issues was a smallpox
epidemic. Trousseau was a firm believer in the germ theory of disease
, and used this knowledge to limit the death toll of the outbreak, compared to previous waves that had devastated the native Hawaiian population. His other major influence was on the leprosy
policy. Convinced that leprosy was contagious
, Trousseau advocated the enforecement of a strict segregation policy.
In November 1873, as Lunalilo's health was failing, Trousseau traveled with the royal court to Kailua-Kona and stayed in the Hulihee Palace
. By January 1874, Trousseau thought the king had a short time to live, so he advised Lunalilo to return to Honolulu and deal with naming a successor. Lunalilo's death on February 3, 1874 without naming an heir caused another political crisis. The legislature did not elect the popular Queen Emma of Hawaii
, but instead King Kalākaua
. Kalākaua was also a patient of Trousseau, and some reports tell of Kalākaua hiding in Trousseau's house during the protests following his election.
, and moved there in 1877. His plan was to raise sheep on high pasture land. A road still named for him is still visible at 19°32′40"N 155°55′43"W, which once ran about 9 miles (14.5 km) from the Puulehua ranch at 4900 feet (1,493.5 m) elevation on the slopes of Mauna Loa
to the beach. He also entered into a relationship with a Hawaiian woman Makanoe, who was already married.
In 1879 he sold the ranch and 11000 sheep to English merchant Henry Nicholas Greenwell
and started a new venture, investing in the Pacific Sugar Mill in Kukuihaele. Records show him being manager in 1879, but after about three years he sold his shares to William H. Purvis
and moved back to Honolulu.
Around this time, his wife back in Paris started legal action to recover some debts of Trousseau's that she had settled.
was visiting Honolulu from Kalawao in the leper colony at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai
early in 1885, Trousseau diagnosed that the future saint had contracted the disease.
In 1885 he attended Queen Emma when she died.
He became president of the board of health in 1887, after Walter M. Gibson
was accused of embezzlement.
By 1890 he started a third venture. He purchased about 1000 acres (404.7 ha) from the Lunalilo estate in Kaimuki
just north of Diamond Head
, and started raising ostrich
es. The plan was to sell feathers to European hat makers.
The birds could be viewed by visitors to Kapiolani Park
.
His nephew Jean Morisseau, the son of Achille Morisseau and his only sister Madame Morriseau, managed the ranch, until his sister's death in early 1894. The farm was later sold to Paul Isenberg
.
, Trousseau accused the descendants of American missions of conspiring with John L. Stevens
in the overthrow.
When Robert Louis Stevenson
became ill while visiting Honolulu in 1893, the Scottish author consulted Trousseau. Stevenson composed a poem "The Pirates' Island" on the suggestion of Trousseau while recovering.
J. Marion Sims
, a colleague of his father, attacked Trousseau in his autobiography:
Trousseau admitted he left Paris penniless after losing his money on speculations, but said Sims sensationalized the story.
In July 1893 he resigned from the board of health, protesting that the strict segregation policy (which he had supported about 20 years earlier) was no longer scientifically necessary.
Trousseau died on May 4, 1894 and was buried in Makiki Cemetery by his mistress Makanoe.
Alexander Cartwright
was executor of his will, although he died first and the new executor was Alexander's son Bruce Cartwright. His properties were left to Makanoe. This resulting in several lawsuits by his widow, who was still owed money from the earlier settlement. Trousseau had mortgages and other debts which had to be paid off. Lawyers hired by his widow included Alfred S. Hartwell
and William F. L. Stanley
.
A street is named for him in the part of Honolulu that used to be the ostrich farm, at 21°16′16"N 157°48′28"W. In the 1999 film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
, Trousseau was played by Michael W. Perry
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
physician who became the royal doctor of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
, and engaged in a variety of agricultural ventures.
Biography
Georges Phillipe Trousseau was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on May 1, 1833. His father was pioneering internist Armand Trousseau
Armand Trousseau
Armand Trousseau was a French internist. His contributions to medicine include Trousseau sign of malignancy, Trousseau sign of latent tetany, Trousseau-Lallemand bodies , and the truism, "use new drugs quickly, while they still work."-Biography:A native of Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Armand Trousseau...
(1801–1867).
He claimed to have served in the army during the French Revolution of 1848
French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
known as the "June days".
In 1854 he married Geneviève Edma Vaunois. Their sons were ophthalmologist Armand Henri Trousseau (1856–1910) and Rene Adolphe Trousseau (1857–?). He and his wife legally separated by 1865.
He followed his father's profession and became a physician in 1858.
Hawaiian practice
After his father's death in 1867, Trousseau sailed to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At some time he went to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and then to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
in May 1872. There he became known with the slightly less French-sounding name George P. Trousseau. Perhaps coincidentally, his father's colleague Philippe Ricord
Philippe Ricord
Philippe Ricord was a French physician.Philippe Ricord was born December 10, 1800 in Baltimore. His father had escaped the French Revolution in 1790 from Marseille. He met French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, who took him back to Paris in 1820. He worked for Lesueur as curator of his...
had a nephew who took the name John Ricord
John Ricord
John Ricord whose birth name was probably Jean Baptiste Ricord-Madianna II, was a lawyer and world traveler. He was involved in cases in Texas, Oregon, Hawaii, and California.-Life:...
when he came to Hawaii in the 1840s.
President of the board of health and Minister of the Interior Ferdinand W. Hutchinson consulted Trousseau when Kamehameha V
Kamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
became ill, but the king died that December. His successor, King Lunalilo
Lunalilo
Lunalilo, born William Charles Lunalilo , was king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874...
, was elected by the legislature. Since Lunalilo was also a patient of Trousseau, his influence grew.
On February 4, 1873 Trousseau was appointed port physician of Honolulu, and to the Hawaii board of health.
On March 18, 1873 he officially became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
.
One of his first public health issues was a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic. Trousseau was a firm believer in the germ theory of disease
Germ theory of disease
The germ theory of disease, also called the pathogenic theory of medicine, is a theory that proposes that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases...
, and used this knowledge to limit the death toll of the outbreak, compared to previous waves that had devastated the native Hawaiian population. His other major influence was on the leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
policy. Convinced that leprosy was contagious
Contagious disease
A contagious disease is a subset category of infectious diseases , which are easily transmitted by physical contact with the person suffering the disease, or by their secretions or objects touched by them....
, Trousseau advocated the enforecement of a strict segregation policy.
In November 1873, as Lunalilo's health was failing, Trousseau traveled with the royal court to Kailua-Kona and stayed in the Hulihee Palace
Hulihee Palace
The Hulihee Palace is located in historic Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Alii Drive. The former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty, it was converted to a museum run by the Daughters of Hawaii, showcasing furniture and artifacts.-History:...
. By January 1874, Trousseau thought the king had a short time to live, so he advised Lunalilo to return to Honolulu and deal with naming a successor. Lunalilo's death on February 3, 1874 without naming an heir caused another political crisis. The legislature did not elect the popular Queen Emma of Hawaii
Queen Emma of Hawaii
Queen Consort Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonālani Naea Rooke of Hawaii was queen consort of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She ran for ruling monarch against King David Kalākaua but was defeated....
, but instead King Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
. Kalākaua was also a patient of Trousseau, and some reports tell of Kalākaua hiding in Trousseau's house during the protests following his election.
Sheep and sugar
In 1875 Trousseau bought a large tract of land in present-day Honalo on the island of HawaiiHawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, and moved there in 1877. His plan was to raise sheep on high pasture land. A road still named for him is still visible at 19°32′40"N 155°55′43"W, which once ran about 9 miles (14.5 km) from the Puulehua ranch at 4900 feet (1,493.5 m) elevation on the slopes of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
to the beach. He also entered into a relationship with a Hawaiian woman Makanoe, who was already married.
In 1879 he sold the ranch and 11000 sheep to English merchant Henry Nicholas Greenwell
Henry Nicholas Greenwell
Henry Nicholas Greenwell was an English merchant credited with establishing Kona coffee as an internationally known brand.His family became major land-holders in the Kona District of the island of Hawaii....
and started a new venture, investing in the Pacific Sugar Mill in Kukuihaele. Records show him being manager in 1879, but after about three years he sold his shares to William H. Purvis
William H. Purvis
William Herbert Purvis was a plant collector and investor in a sugar plantation on the island of Hawaii during the late nineteenth century....
and moved back to Honolulu.
Around this time, his wife back in Paris started legal action to recover some debts of Trousseau's that she had settled.
Medicine and ostriches
He re-opened his medical practice in May 1882. When Father DamienFather Damien
Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. , born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order...
was visiting Honolulu from Kalawao in the leper colony at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
early in 1885, Trousseau diagnosed that the future saint had contracted the disease.
In 1885 he attended Queen Emma when she died.
He became president of the board of health in 1887, after Walter M. Gibson
Walter M. Gibson
Walter Murray Gibson was an American adventurer and a government minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii prior to the kingdom's 1887 constitution.-Life:...
was accused of embezzlement.
By 1890 he started a third venture. He purchased about 1000 acres (404.7 ha) from the Lunalilo estate in Kaimuki
Kaimuki, Hawaii
Kaimukī is a residential neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.-History:In the 19th century the area was a farm of King Kalākaua, where ostriches roamed wild over the mountain side. It later became the site of a carnation farm for funeral flowers...
just north of Diamond Head
Diamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
, and started raising ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es. The plan was to sell feathers to European hat makers.
The birds could be viewed by visitors to Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Regional Park is the largest and oldest public park in Hawaii, located in Honolulu, Hawaii on the east end of Waikīkī just beyond Kuhio Beach Park and the Waikiki residential neighborhood...
.
His nephew Jean Morisseau, the son of Achille Morisseau and his only sister Madame Morriseau, managed the ranch, until his sister's death in early 1894. The farm was later sold to Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg was a German businessman who developed the sugarcane business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Paul Heinrich Friedrich Carl Isenberg was born April 15, 1837 in Dransfeld, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany...
.
Later years and death
After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he was attacked for being a royalist because of his associations with kings and queens. However, he pointed out that and his father fought for making and keeping France a republic. In the Blount ReportBlount Report
The Blount Report is the popular name given to the part of the 1893 United States House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee Report regarding the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The report was conducted by U.S. Commissioner James H. Blount, appointed by U.S...
, Trousseau accused the descendants of American missions of conspiring with John L. Stevens
John L. Stevens
John Leavitt Stevens was the United States Department of State Minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 when he was accused of conspiring to overthrow Queen Liliuokalani in association with the Committee of Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston and Sanford B...
in the overthrow.
When Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
became ill while visiting Honolulu in 1893, the Scottish author consulted Trousseau. Stevenson composed a poem "The Pirates' Island" on the suggestion of Trousseau while recovering.
J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims, born James Marion Sims was a surgical pioneer, considered the father of American gynecology. Modern historians argue about his legacy as Sims used slaves as experimental subjects.-Early career:...
, a colleague of his father, attacked Trousseau in his autobiography:
He was a gambler and every thing else that was bad. His father was worried to death with his dissoluteness and foolish extravagance, and had to pay enormous sums of money to extricate him from his disgraceful orgies and gambling complications.
Trousseau admitted he left Paris penniless after losing his money on speculations, but said Sims sensationalized the story.
In July 1893 he resigned from the board of health, protesting that the strict segregation policy (which he had supported about 20 years earlier) was no longer scientifically necessary.
Trousseau died on May 4, 1894 and was buried in Makiki Cemetery by his mistress Makanoe.
Alexander Cartwright
Alexander Cartwright
Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr. is one of several people sometimes referred to as a "father of baseball". Cartwright is thought to be the first person to draw a diagram of a diamond shaped baseball field, and the rules of the modern game are based on the Knickerbocker Rules developed by Cartwright...
was executor of his will, although he died first and the new executor was Alexander's son Bruce Cartwright. His properties were left to Makanoe. This resulting in several lawsuits by his widow, who was still owed money from the earlier settlement. Trousseau had mortgages and other debts which had to be paid off. Lawyers hired by his widow included Alfred S. Hartwell
Alfred S. Hartwell
Alfred Stedman Hartwell was a lawyer and American Civil War soldier, who then had another career as cabinet minister and judge in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Alfred Stedman Hartwell was born June 11, 1836 in South Natick, Massachusetts...
and William F. L. Stanley
William Stanley (Hawaii)
William Frederick L. Stanley was an Irish lawyer who served as judge of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:Stanley was born in Dublin, Ireland in March 1872. His father was James Charles Stanley and mother was Catherine Lucas. After common school education in Dover, England and Dublin, he studied at...
.
A street is named for him in the part of Honolulu that used to be the ostrich farm, at 21°16′16"N 157°48′28"W. In the 1999 film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien is a 1999 biopic of Father Damien, who was a Belgian priest working at the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai...
, Trousseau was played by Michael W. Perry
Michael W. Perry
Michael William Perry is the co-host, along with Larry Price, of the Perry & Price show on KSSK-FM in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also hosts the Hawaiian Moving Company television show on KGMB in Honolulu.- Biography :...
.