Duchesne entered l'Ecole du Service de Santé Militaire de Lyon in 1894. Duchesne's thesis, "Contribution à l’étude de la concurrence vitale chez les micro-organismes: antagonisme entre les moisissures et les microbes", that he submitted in 1897 to get his doctorate degree, was the first study to consider the therapeutic capabilities of molds resulting from their anti-microbial activity. In his landmark thesis, Duchesne proposed that bacteria and molds engage in a perpetual battle for survival. In one experiment, he treated cultures of Penicillium glaucum with media containing either bacteria that cause typhoid fever or Escherichia coli ; the Penicillium succumbed to the bacteria. Nevertheless, he wondered whether the Penicillium might have weakened the bacteria before the mold perished. So he injected guinea pigs with media containing bacteria and media containing Penicillium glaucum. The animals survived and were rendered immune to the bacteria. He speculated that molds might release toxins, as some bacteria do. To treat diseases, he proposed using media in which either bacteria or molds had been cultured. Duchesne concluded that: While only weakly conclusive given the number of the experimental trials, this proves Duchesne understood, concluded, and published information about the effect of the Penicillium glaucum mold as a therapeutic agent in animals. Because he was 23 and unknown, the Institut Pasteur did not even acknowledge receipt of his dissertation. He urged more research but unfortunately his army service after getting his degree prevented him from doing any further work. Therefore, neither Duchesne nor the InstitutPasteur capitalized on Duchesne's tremendous discovery and years later, Fleming received credit for his work with, Penicillium notatum and his isolation of Penicillin. Duchesne served a one-year internship at Val-de-Grâce before he was appointed a 2nd class Major of Medicine in the 2nd Regiment de Hussards de Senlis. In 1901, he married Rosa Lassalas from Cannes. She died 2 years later of tuberculosis. In 1904, Duchesne also contracted a serious chest disease, probably tuberculosis. Three years later, he was discharged from the army and sent to a sanatorium in Amélie-les-Bains. He died on 12 April 1912, at age 37. Duchesne is buried next to his wife in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes.
Recognition
Duchesne was posthumously honoured in 1949, 5 years after Alexander Fleming had received the Nobel Prize. A history of antibiotics contains a suggestion on why it was forgotten:
