Servant of GodServant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
Jérôme Jean Louis Marie Lejeune (
MontrougeMontrouge is a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the center of Paris, France. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; June 13, 1926-April 3, 1994) was a
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
CatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
pro-lifeOpposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
paediatrician and
geneticistA geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
, best known for his discovery of the link of diseases to
chromosome abnormalitiesA chromosome anomaly, abnormality or aberration reflects an atypical number of chromosomes or a structural abnormality in one or more chromosomes. A Karyotype refers to a full set of chromosomes from an individual which can be compared to a "normal" Karyotype for the species via genetic testing. A...
. He developed the karyotype.
Lejeune had made his career specializing in the treatment of children with Trisomy 21, also called
Down syndromeDown syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, and attended a
CopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
meeting of scientists where Albert Levan's discovery of the number of human chromosomes was discussed. Afterwards, it occurred to Marthe Gautier, a young doctor in the Raymond Turpin's laboratory, to check the number of
chromosomeA chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s in Down syndrome patients. After taking a skin biopsy from one of his patients, Gautier, using borrowed equipment discovered that children with the disease have an extra copy (called a
trisomyA trisomy is a type of polysomy in which there are three copies, instead of the normal two, of a particular chromosome. A trisomy is a type of aneuploidy .-Description and causes:...
) of a chromosome. Lejeune discovered the fact that the extra copy was in the chromosome 21. He spent the remainder of his life researching a cure for Trisomy 21. He said, "it would take less effort to find a cure for the disease than to send a man to the moon." He also diagnosed the first case of
Cri du chatCri du chat syndrome, also known as chromosome 5p deletion syndrome, 5p minus syndrome or Lejeune’s syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder due to a missing part of chromosome 5. Its name is a French term referring to the characteristic cat-like cry of affected children. It was first described by...
syndrome, or 5p deletion syndrome, in 1963.
He was a friend of
Pope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. They had met hours before the assassination attempt on the Pope's life on May 13, 1981 when Lejeune was in Rome for a genetics meeting and the two were discussing ethics. Pope John Paul II appointed Dr Lejeune to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and created the
Pontifical Academy for LifeThe Pontifical Academy for Life or Pontificia Accademia Pro Vita is a Pontifical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to promoting the Church's consistent life ethic...
http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_161__article_1222.htm, making Dr. Lejeune president just prior to his death of cancer in Paris in 1994. He has been named "Servant of God" and his cause for sainthood is being postulated by the
Abbey of Saint WandrilleFontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.-First foundation:...
in France.
His daughter Clara Lejeune-Gaymard is presently President of
General-Electric (France). She is married to the former Minister of Finances
Hervé GaymardHervé Gaymard is a French politician and a member of UMP conservative party. He served as the country's Minister of Finances from 30 November 2004 until his resignation on 25 February 2005....
. Clara wrote biographical memoirs of her father, in the book, "Life is a Blessing" ISBN 978-0-935372-59-5. His daughter Anouk Lejeune Meyer, a professor of languages, married to Dr. Jean Marie Meyer, professor of philosophy, have 7 children. The couple have served two terms on the Pontifical Council of the Family.
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