In Memoriam: Jean Thivolet

immune diseases and the culture of epidermal cells for the treatment of major burns. Jean Thivolet exacted as much from himself as he did from others, and was very open-minded, energetic, enthusiastic and determined. He was full of charisma and inspired many vocations. Pavillon R was a training platform for innumerable students and fellow workers who The scientific, university and medical communities pay homage to the memory of Professor Jean Thivolet, who died on February 4, 2011. By all those who knew him he will be remembered as a doctor, teacher and exceptional scientist who took French dermatology to the highest levels of international renown. Born on February 4, 1926, in Lyon, France, Jean Thivolet was Chair of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology at Edouard Herriot Hospital (Pavillon R), Lyon, from 1972 to 1992, after having been Head of the Dermatology Department at Antiquaille Hospital and holding the Chair for Hygiene and Social Welfare. Jean Thivolet was a dermatologist and researcher with visionary insight about future developments in medical practice. In parallel with his clinical activities, he built the laboratory of cutaneous immunopathology, which he directed from 1977 to 1992, and which was quickly recognised as the first INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) dermatology unit. This grouping of clinical and research services was to become one of the most efficient dermatological research centres in the world and attracted clinicians and researchers of all nationalities. The cosmopolitan aspect was very important to him. His energies led to the establishment of a Master in Cutaneous Biology and to an annual seminar on immunodermatology. His team contributed to major advances in knowledge about immunodermatology, in particular in the fields of Langerhans cells, bullous autoPublished online: April 5, 2011