Joseph-Francois Malgaigne (1806-1865) was a distinguished French surgeon, medical historian and anatomist. He specialised in fractures and the orthopaedic surgery of the knee, hip and shoulder. In 1834 he published the important medical treatise the Manuel de Medicine Operatoire, which covered a variety of subjects including surgical techniques. As an historian he edited the complete works of Ambroise Par, the 16th century French pioneer in surgical techniques and battlefield surgery, and also made a scholarly study of the works of Hippocrates. He strongly advocated the statistical approach to the study of medical problems.