The Inventor of the Guillotine

Antoine Louis and the creation of the device

Doctor Antoine Louis, the inventor of the guillotine, developed the decapitation device, which at first was nicknamed “Louison.” The first tests to confirm the effectiveness of the machine were carried out on sheep.

Early life and medical career

Antoine Louis was born on 13 February 1723 in Metz, in the Lorraine region of France. His father was a surgeon, assistant major at the military hospital of Metz and lieutenant to the king’s chief surgeon.

Following his father’s example, Antoine also became a surgeon. He practiced military medicine and served as surgeon-major of a regiment during the Flanders campaign.

Medical achievements

In 1749, he obtained his medical thesis on the subject “De vulnéribus capitus” (Injuries to the head).

The origin of the guillotine

At the request of Doctor Guillotin (1738–1814), who wished to reduce the suffering of those condemned during executions, Antoine Louis designed in 1792 a machine capable of decapitating quickly and without pain. Initially, it bore the name of the young surgeon and was called “Louison.”

First execution

The first execution using this machine took place at the Place de Grève on 25 April 1792. The first person executed was Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, who had stabbed a passerby several times to steal his money.

Later life and death

Unmarried and without children, Antoine Louis was secretary of the Royal Academy of Surgery, professor, and chief surgeon of the Salpêtrière. The brilliant physician also earned a doctorate in law and became a lawyer at the Parliament of Paris. In 1763, he presented a dissertation describing a case of death by hanging and explained the characteristic signs distinguishing suicide from murder.

Antoine Louis died on 20 May 1792 in Paris.

Historical legacy

History has remembered Doctor Guillotin as the inventor of the guillotine. It is said that despite Antoine Louis’s protests, the instrument he designed was named “guillotine.”