Dr. Fauvel

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-10-19

Dr. Fauvel was a Parisian physician who treated Marie in October 1880 for respiratory problems. He prescribed iodine and a blister (vésicatoire) - treatments Marie found horrifying, saying she would rather break an arm than endure a mustard plaster.

Fauvel's diagnosis was concerning: while earlier doctors had found problems only with Marie's larynx, by October 1880 Marie was beginning to experience symptoms that suggested her bronchi and lungs were also affected. This marked a worrying progression of her respiratory illness.

Marie notes that three years earlier in Germany, a doctor at a spa had found something wrong with her right lung, under the shoulder blade - something she had laughed off at the time. By October 1880, she was feeling pain in that same location when coughing or breathing deeply, making her fear there might be something seriously wrong.

Dr. Fauvel appears to have been one of several doctors Marie consulted about her chronic throat and lung problems, which she initially sought to treat in hopes of recovering her singing voice.