Jacques Forestier

Jacques Forestier (July 27, 1890 - March 15, 1978) was a French internist who was a pioneer in the field of rheumatology. He studied and practiced medicine in Paris, and was founder of the National French Society of Rheumatology. His father, Henri Forestier was a director at the therapeutic spas in Aix-les-Bains.

Jacques Forestier is remembered for his introduction of gold salts as a remedy for rheumatoid arthritis. Today, injectable gold salts such as gold sodium thiomalate and aurothioglucose are considered by many to be the most effective treatment for arthritic ailments. Forestier is also credited for his descriptions of the diseases polymyalgia rheumatica and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

With his instructor Jean-Athanase Sicard (1872-1929), Forestier demonstrated the use of Lipiodol for spinal X-ray examinations.

Associated Eponyms

 * Forestier's disease: also known as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). It is a type of degenerative spinal arthritis found in the elderly.
 * Forestier's bowstring sign (signe de la "corde de l'arc); a sign seen in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).