About the year 1794 Hallé’s father and his grandfather were made members of the Order of Saint-Michael, an honor which conferred nobility not only upon them but also upon himself. Unfortunately for the doctor, who was residing in Paris at the time, this patent of nobility made him subject to the new law which had been passed by the Convention, and which drove into exile all members of the nobility. An exception, however, was made in his case because he held the office of Physician to the Poor, and also—doubtless—because he was universally known throughout Paris to be a staunch friend of the poor. Having thus received permission to remain in the capital Hallé at once bethought himself how he might aid those unfortunates who were confined in prison. He was permitted, for example, to visit Malesherbes, Minister Turbot’s associate, who was awaiting his death by the guillotine. Not only was he thus enabled to speak words of comfort to the unfortunate prisoner, but he received from him such farewell messages for his distressed family and friends as he desired to send. Hallé was also one of those friends of Lavoisier who interfered actively, but in vain, to save his life from the executioner’s block. Those were terrible times and it required great courage to do what Hallé did in behalf of these innocent victims of the murderous Jacobins.
Fourcroy, the celebrated chemist and naturalist, who was authorized by the Convention in 1794 and 1795 to organize a new École de Médecine, to take the place of the one which the rabble had destroyed in 1783, appointed Hallé Professor of Medical Physics and Hygiene. Then, later still (1796), Corvisart, who by that time was in the full exercise of his functions as medical adviser to Bonaparte,[[20]] appointed Hallé his associate in the professorship at the Collège de France. Shortly afterward he gave up the Chair entirely to Hallé.
Between the years 1800 and 1812 Hallé, more than any other French physician, exerted his influence—and with decided success—in overcoming the remaining opposition to vaccination, not only in France but also in Italy.
Corvisart left to Hallé in his will the portrait of Stoll, the distinguished Vienna professor, and added a memorandum to the effect that he made this gift because he esteemed Hallé more highly than he did any other physician.
Many anecdotes have been told concerning the peculiarities of Hallé in his dealings with patients. The following two may perhaps prove of interest to my readers:—If, for example, the patient happened to be an artist, Hallé refused to accept a fee from him; and, when asked why he did this, he replied: “Because from way back I belong to a family of artists.” Then, in the second place, he was not willing to accept fees from ecclesiastics. “If they have only just enough to live upon, they should not be subjected to any diminution of that small stipend. On the other hand, if they have more than is absolutely necessary for their legitimate living expenses, this excess belongs to the poor.” The following anecdote is told of one of his experiences:—
One day, when he returned to his office, worn out with a hard day’s practice, he was told that a lady was waiting to consult him. “Ask her,” he said to the attendant, “kindly to consult some other physician, as I am too tired to see her.” She sent back word that she had not the courage to do this, as she was not able to pay for the services of this other physician. “If that is the case,” Hallé promptly replied, “tell her I will see her.” To himself he said: “I have no right to send her away.”
Hallé’s death occurred on February 11, 1822. Laënnec succeeded him at the Collège de France.
Gaspard Laurent Bayle was born on August 18, 1774, at the village of Vernet in the Department of the Basses-Alps. The country in this part of France is very picturesque but not at all fertile; lofty mountains surround it on all sides. At an early age Gaspard manifested a high degree of intelligence and a strong inclination to study natural phenomena. He was barely ten years old when he began making a collection of insects, and he even went so far as to give names to the individual species. He was only twelve years old when he was sent to the High School of Embrun; and in this institution he made such advances in his studies that the principal, Father Rossignol, a Jesuit, looked upon him as one of the most promising of the pupils under his charge; more than this, he felt a strong affection for the boy. As the curriculum of the school studies did not include mathematics and natural history Father Rossignol took particular pains to furnish Gaspard with instruction in these branches of knowledge. The warm friendship which thus developed between the scholar and his instructor, continued unbroken up to the time of the latter’s death in 1813.
Laboring under the impression that it was his duty to become a priest Gaspard enrolled his name at the theological seminary in 1790, and devoted the following year to the study of philosophy and theology; but, after the lapse of a certain length of time, doubts began to enter his mind as to the wisdom of the choice which he had made, and accordingly, after consultation with his father and older brother, both of whom were lawyers, he abandoned the study of theology and entered his brother’s law office.