Cazenavette, Lionel Louis

Submitted by Mike Miller

Cazenavette, Lionel Louis, successful New Orleans physician, was born at New Orleans, parish of Orleans, La., April 20, 1874; son of Henri Cazenavette, born at Bordeaux, France, 1830, and Anais (Pinac) Cazenavette, born at New Orleans, La., 1841. The paternal grandfather, Bernard Cazenavette, an educational promoter, was president of the "Lycee de Bordeaux," a position he held until his death, in 1860. One of his sons, Adrien Cazenavette, was also a director of the same institution. The maternal grandmother, Clara Guillot, was a daughter of Joseph Guillot, a contractor, under whose direction and supervision were built the obituary chapel now known as St. Anthony's church, at the corner of North Rampart and Conti streets, and the old Ursulines convent, in the lower section of the city of New Orleans, recently demolished to allow for levee improvement to protect the city against the Mississippi river. In 1848 the father, having studied pharmacy in Bordeaux, France, came to New Orleans and entered the employ of his uncle, Louis Pinac, a druggist, whose daughter he married in 1860. Before the beginning of the Civil war he settled as a druggist at Thibodaux, La., where he remained until 1866, when he returned to New Orleans. This was during the "reconstruction period,'' and it is said conditions were such that he was forced to abandon his profession. He spent the remainder of his life as a clerk, successfully caring, however, for a large family. He died in 1910, 5 years after his wife's demise. The subject of this sketch, Lionel Louis, was educated at New Orleans, first in a private school conducted by his aunt, Miss M. L. Pinac, later in St. Aloysius college, subsequently in Tulane high school, and finally in the medical department of Tulane university of Louisiana, receiving his M. D. degree in 1897. Immediately thereafter engaging in the practice of medicine in the city of New Orleans, he became visiting physician to the Charity hospital as assistant to Dr. P. E. Archinard, professor of diseases of the nervous system, in the New Orleans Polyclinic. Later he held the positions of lecturer and clinical assistant in diseases of the nervous systern in both the undergraduate and post-graduate medical departments of Tulane university, and delivered lectures, not only on diseases of the nervous system, but also on medical electricity and the X-ray. He now holds the position of instructor in diseases of the nervous system in the post-graduate medical school of the Tulane university and clinical assistant to the chair of diseases of the skin. Dr. Cazenavette has been associated in office practice with Dr. Isadore Dyer, the dermatologist, and has been particularly interested in research work in those branches of medicine dealing with diseases of the nervous system, medical electricity, the X-ray, and dermatology. He is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, is a member of the American Medical association, Louisiana State Medical society, Orleans Parish Medical society, Alumni association of Tulane university of Louisiana, St. Luke's guild, and the Chess, Checkers & Whist club. April 29, 1907, Dr. Cazenavette was married to Miss Amanda Marie DeGruy, daughter of James Verloin DeGruy and Amanda (Sauton) DeGruy, of New Orleans. Two children--Lillian Marie and Claire Louise have been born to them.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 92-93. Edited by Alcee Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.