The Chance Discovery of René-Maurice Gattefossé?

In opposition to that what the relevant aromatherapy literature says René-Maurice Gattefossé did not discover the healing benefit of lavender by chance. The medicinal benefit of lavender was already familiar to the Frrench chemist when burning liquid came onto his skin durin an explosion in his laboratory. With rolling on the lawn he tried to smother the burnings. But his hands were already covered with fast inflaming gangrene. Gattefossé already knew about the medicinal benefit of lavender and tried to medicate his burns with the oil. He watched the lavender oil stopping the grangrene of his tissue already after a short period of time. Thereupon he enganged himself more intesive with the effects and applications of lavender oil.

During World War 2, the French Army surgeon Jean Valnet made use of Gattefossé’s scientific discoveries. To compensate for the lack of medication, he employed essential oils as antiseptics and for healing wounds. The results were so successful that he devoted himself to aromatherapy. In time, Valnet trained numerous physicians in aromatherapy and published the results of his research in various books. He thus contributed to the diffusion of the therapeutical use of essential oils, and his followers Marguerite Maury and Micheline Arcier introduced aromatherapy in England.