Who was Doctor Joseph Rivière?

So, I live on this street called Dr Joseph Riviere Street. 
At first, I thought it was just some random old guy’s name. But then I googled him.
This guy was wild.

Dr. Alexandre Joseph Rivière: A Doctor Who Mixed Science, Creativity, and Peace

Dr. Alexandre Joseph Rivière was born on 20 February 1859 in Moka, Mauritius, back when the island was still a British colony. Super smart from a young age, he earned his Doctorate in Medicine in 1884 at just 25 years old.

Healing with Electricity and Light

Rivière wasn’t your typical doctor. Instead of sticking to the usual methods of his time, he experimented with things like electricity, heat, light, and even air therapy to treat patients.

At his Physico-Therapeutic Institute in Paris, he set up all kinds of strange and futuristic-looking devices. One of them, d’Arsonval’s phototherapeutic cage, looked like a big wooden box lined with wires where patients would step inside for treatment.

Sounds wild, right? Honestly, it feels like an early version of today’s wellness spas or therapy capsules—think tanning booths, light therapy pods, or even those bubbly hydro-massage chairs.
Imagine standing inside that wooden cage with wires buzzing around you… pretty cool and a little sci-fi!

A Doctor Who Hated War

But Rivière wasn’t only about inventing new medical treatments. In 1905, he pulled doctors together from all over the world to form the International Medical Association Against War (IMAW). By 1914, this group had members in more than 40 countries!

His idea was simple but powerful: if doctors spend their lives saving people, how could they stay silent while millions were being killed in wars? For him, healing bodies and healing society went hand in hand.

Dr. Alexandre Joseph Rivière was ahead of his time. He was part inventor, part healer, and part peace activist. He reminds us that medicine isn’t just about curing illness—it can also be about shaping a more human and peaceful world.

Cool, huh?

Joseph Riviere: Physician and Peaceworker
Nick Lewer, BA, BSc and Peter van den Dungen, MA, PhD
Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, UK

https://numerabilis.u-paris.fr/medica/biographies/?refbiogr=3949

https://wellcomecollection.org/