The First Modern Stroke Neurologist

Charles Foix was born in Salies-de-Bearn, a small village in the southern part of France, in 1882. He was the son of a physician from B6arn. Foix came to Paris to study medicine and spent his entire career within the hospital systems of Paris (Hotel-Dieu, Necker, Bicetre, Salpetriere). He was named hospital intern in 1906, and during his fourth year of training he won the Gold Medal Competition, a very coveted and prestigious award. Then came World War I, and Foix fought in France and on the Eastern Front. After returning to Paris he was named hospital physician in 1919 and Agreg6 to the faculty in 1923, a position he held until his untimely death in 1927 at age 45. In France, the examination for the position of interne h6pitaux (a 1-4-year appointment with duties similar to those of residents in the United States) was very competitive. To become Agr6g6, appointees had to pass another competitive examination and present a thesis (these d'Agr6gation).