Count Theirry de Martel - Famous French Surgeon - Casualty of War, 1940

One of the most famous neuro-surgeons, he commited suicide as the Germans marched into Paris. He was a surgeon with the Army during the Great War.

On June 13 he wrote to his friend William Bullitt, the American ambassador: "I made you the promise that I wouldn't leave Paris. I didn"t say whether I would stay in Paris alive or dead. If I stay in Paris, it is like putting a blank check into the enemy's hands. If I stay in Paris dead, it is like a check without funds."