A man, wearing dark glasses, sits front and centre of the audience of the inaugural meeting of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, held on 8th September 1951 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He sits upright, leaning forward slightly, his arms resting lightly on his knees with his hands loosely curled, portraying an energy waiting to be released. But with his eyes hidden, who can know his thoughts?
His name was André Nicolle, a French physiotherapist and a remarkable man of action – despite his blindness (Remondière, 2022).
André Maurice Albert Léo Nicolle was born on August 2, 1907 in Paris, into a wealthy family. He passed a baccalaureate in letters at the age of 17, after brilliant studies at the Montaigne and Louis-le-Grand high schools in Paris and began studying medicine, but was interrupted by the accidental loss of sight in 1925.
Nicolle turned to medical massage studies at the Valentin Haüy Association, obtained the diploma in June 1928, and settled in Rue du Vieux Colombier, in Paris, where he practiced until 1958. In March 1929, he married a medical student, a few years his senior, with whom he had three daughters.
During the Second World War, Nicolle joined Free France on February 1, 1943; he joined the Andalusian unit of Charles Davin’s group, created two years earlier, as a permanent member.
In his professional life, Nicolle was involved in two sectors which he promoted and defended tirelessly. One concerned the rights of the blind, in particular work, benefits and social action; the other the advocacy of physiotherapy.
In1944, Nicolle was appointed member of the Medical Massage Committee, as President of the Professional Syndicate of Blind Masseurs of France. He sat alongside administrative representatives and doctors who worked in favour of medical massage. He also sat on the Commission for the Family, Population and Public Health from 1947. This commission worked in favour of the social protection of the blind and the organisation of vocational rehabilitation schools for war victims and veterans.
Nicolle also represented the Union of Medical Technicians, Masseurs and Physiotherapists (later named the Federation of masseurs-physiotherapists) on the Permanent Commission for the Nomenclature of Professional Acts and the National Tariff Commission.
France was a strong supporter of international cooperation of physiotherapists, having hosted the 1st International Congress of Massage in 1937, in Paris. In 1948, in London, during the Congress of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the idea of an international body for physiotherapy took shape. From the 13 nations present a small provisional committee was elected and met in 1950, to determine the bylaws and and plans of the future federation. France was represented by André Nicolle, President of the National Union of French Medical Masseurs.
On 6 September 1951, in Copenhagen, André Nicolle took his part in the inaugural meeting of the World Confederation of Physical Therapists, where he was photographed. The man to his right was his interpreter, Jacques Dupuis-Deltor.
Also a strong advocate for of the professional integration of the blind, André Nicolle was at the head of several French and international associations – simply too many to enumerate. Suffice to say his contributions led him to be elevated to the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honor, Commander of the National Order of Merit and awardee of the Vermeil medal from the City of Paris and the Gold medal from the Norwegian Federation of the Blind.
André Nicolle died on July 22, 1993, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, following a long illness.
References
Remondière R. 2022. André Nicolle, ardent défenseur du massage médical et des masseurs aveugles en France, à l’origine de la WCPT. Kinésithérapie, la Revue, 22(250), 62-66. Accessed online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1779012321002497 on 11 July 2023. Translated by Google Translate.
