Charles-Philippe Robin

Charles-Philippe Robin

Charles-Philippe Robin (1821 - 1885) French microscopic anatomist and biologist. From an accident in childhood, he was blind in one eye. He lived a very frugal life and remained unmarried and painstakingly devoted to his work throughout his life. He was an excellent lecturer though very peremptory in his attitude, which probably caused even his devoted students to distance themselves from him during his later years, as he remained staunchly fixed to old ideas and refused to accept the latest developments in science. He was the first to discover the disease causing fungus Candida albicans, and also recognised the role of osteoclasts in bone formation. Virchow-Robin spaces, the enlarged perivascular spaces that surround the blood vessels for a short distance as they enter the brain are named partly after him.