Founder of Institute, Professor of bacteriology (U de M), chief of laboratories (H├┤pital St.-Luc)
Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène de Montréal (renamed Institut Armand-Frappier, 1975)
Armand Frappier became a famous microbiologist and studied tuberculosis and BCG (bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine. He was one of the first N Americans to confirm the safety and efficacy of BCG and to develop original study and utilization methods for this vaccine. He showed it also had nonspecific preventative effects in cases of infant leukemia. He studied the mechanisms of infection and of resistance to certain infections. The Institut Armand-Frappier is named after him, and he founded the first French-language school of hygiene in the world.
MD, 1930; MSc, 1931, U de Montréal; Rockefeller Scholarship, 1931-32; worked in the Calmette, Guérin and Nègre labs in Paris (Institut Pasteur); studied applications of immunology and anatoxins there, 1937; chief of laboratories, Hôpital Saint-Luc, 1933; professor of bacteriology, U de M.; founded Institute de microbiologie et d'hygiène de Montréal, 1938 (renamed Institut Armand-Frappier, 1975); established goals of research, post-academic teaching, certain health services and services to industry in production of biological products; founded first French-language school of hygiene in the world at U de M, 1945; dean 1945-65. With colleague Paul Lemonde and his daughter, Lise Davignon, he showed for the first time a nonspecific preventative effect of BCG vaccine in cases of infant leukemia. He encouraged the international study of leprosy at the Institute and helped establish there one of the few labs devoted to this work. Retired in 1974, served as consultant. Foreign assoc. of Académie nationale de médicine de France; pres. BCG ctte. of Internat. Union Against Tuberculosis; mem. experts panel of TB for WHO. Companion of Order of Canada, offr. Order of British Empire; hon. doctorates Laval, Paris, Montréal, Québec, Krakow.
Sources: The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1988
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