Jean Marie Despiau (?–1824), also spelled Jean-Marie Despiaux (J. M. Despiaux for short), was a French physician,The Conquest and Settlement of Cochinchina in "Les Colonies Francaises," 1889 later a mandarin of Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam.Trần Trọng Kim, Việt Nam sử lược, Quyển 2, Cận kim thời đại, Chương 1Phan Khôi, Bác cái thuyết "Nước Pháp giúp nước Nam về hồi cuối thế kỷ XVIII"
Born in Bazas, Gironde. He arrived in Cochinchina from Macau in 1795.Wynn Wilcox, Vietnam and the West: New Approaches He became the personal physician of Nguyễn Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long).Abrégé de l'histoire d'Annam Later, he served as an imperial physician of Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 until he died in 1824.The Nguyen Mission for Smallpox Vaccine: Promising Leads from the Portuguese Archives
Dr. Despiau was trusted by Gia Long. In 1802, Gia Long took his advice about organising medical assistance to the indigenous people, and established provincial physicians throughout Vietnam for the sick, the elderly, the incurable, the infirm, and the indigent.Indo China under the French He was described "enjoyed no political influence at all". After the accession of Minh Mạng to the throne, he remained in the new emperor's favor.C. Michele Thompson, Vietnamese Traditional Medicine: A Social History In 1820, he was dispatched to Macau for smallpox vaccine.
See also French assistance to Nguyễn Ánh France-Vietnam relations
References