The ASNOM, in order to make the humanitarian work of the Health Service of Colonial Troops better known, opened a website in July 2001. After three years, given the number of people who visit the site and are particularly interested in it and taking into account the comments made, it seemed to the Association that a revision of some pages and the improvement of the illustrations of the site, making it more attractive, would be necessary. The different bibliographies, revised and augmented, should henceforth permit visitors of the site to obtain more details on subjects that interest them.

With respect to the numerous requests of english speaking browsers, it appeared essential to have an english version of this site which would make us also known in english speaking countries. This showed to be a long and painstaking endeavor and the english version was finally online in december 2005 as previously decided and scheduled.
Subsequently many new browsers started to log on and the number of visits to our site, mostly from North American browsers, raised significantly.

The Asnom's links with different official governmental or associative structures are made clear and defined with precision. They permit much easier progress for those who wish to advance and, possibly, a more profound comprehension of the data.

In the future, Asnom intends to introduce modifications every time it is necessary. It is foreseen that, whatever happens, the site will be revised regularly in order to enhance it. This work will bear witness to the vitality of the Association.

A lesson in medicine

THE PROGRAMME OF THE ASNOM

The activities of the Asnom are, by their very nature, very traditional and take place regularly during the course of the year. It will be useful to note certain items of the Association's programme.

ASNOM brought a key contribution to several events which took place in 2005. On April 2th, in Bordeaux, the Ecole de Santé Navale the 2003 class was named after their patron who is the late Medecin general Georges Clerc ( class 1926). On April 26th, the annual homage paid to the memory of Dr Jamot (the sleeping sickness winner )took place in his village named Saint Sulpice des Champs,Creuse. On Sept 16th, an official ceremony took place in Marseille to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the Pharo, Institute of Tropical Medicine : beside of the hight attending civilian and military authorities there were also very many veterans of the Medical Corps and sympathizing individuals who showed up . This event was paired with the World Congress of Tropical Medicine, which was held on the same precincts. On October 9th, according a well established tradition of ours, the Arch of Triumph Flame in Paris was rekindled as an homage paid to the memory of the Medical Services deceaded Elders of the Military.

On October 15th, the public school of Amancey which is a small village located in eastern France (35kms south of the town of Besançon) was officially named Palmyr Ulderic Cordier who, after he had been raised in this village ,was admitted to the Ecole de Santé Navale (class 1890). He ranked as a major in the Medical Corps of the Colonial Army and died in the line of duty at the beginning of WWI.

the Ceremony of the Naming of Class 2004, after Medecin General Inspecteur Lasnet, class 1890, took place at Bordeaux Medical School on April 1rst 2006, with the attendance of many Alumni and friends. A ceremony commemorating the memory of Eugene Jamot took place on April 22nd in Saint Sulpice des Champs.
Our annual statutory meeting was held in Nice on Sept 27-28th 2006 which gave an opportunity to display the vitality of our association. All these events are reported in the ASNOM bulletin.

The formal introduction of Class 2005 took place on the grounds of the Academy in Bordeaux on March 17th 2007, and was named "Promotion VIALARD GOUDOU" after the Elder these trainees had selected as their godfather, this Class 1922 Elder, member of the "Ordre de la Liberation", had distinguished himself as the chief medical officer of the first free french brigade during the battle of Bir-Hakeim in the desert. He took part next in the Italy Campaign, in the troop landing operation in Provence and in the liberation of France.

ASNOM was represented at the traditional annual ceremony dedicated to the memory of Jamot which took place on April 27th in Saint Sulpice des Champs.

The annual convention of our association took place this year in Bordeaux on September 21rst 2007.It was highly successful with the participation of so many members and also with the highly friendly and hospitable reception of the organizing comitee.

The traditional naming ceremony of Class 2006 took place on April 5th 2008. It had been really a long time since this event had been attended by so many Alumni, older ones together with younger ones as a token of their support for the Academy. They wished also to pay homage to this class named "Medecin Colonel Emile Marchoux". It was definitely a very solemn moment of emotion as the information of the forthcoming closure of Santé Navale, which had been recently decided at the highest level of the government had saddened the mood of the attending crowd. This order was confirmed during the month of July 2008 and is to take place in 2011.

During the year 2008, ASNOM took part in several different meetings and celebrations such as in April the annual respect paid to the memory of Dr Jamot and the annual post graduate course on tropical diseases at the Pharo Institute in Marseilles which convened on Sept 8-9th. On November 11th a commemorative plaque in the name of Alexandre Lasnet was set up in the city of Champlitte with the participation of several trainees belonging to Sante Navale Class 2004 which is named after this Elder in order to bestow an honor on his memory. The annual general meeting of our Association took place on Sept 27th in Montpellier,This city carries dear memories to many of our elder members as our Academy was sheltered there during the difficult period of time from 1940 to 1943. It was an opportunity to pay a visit to the old campus and to set up a commemorative plaque.

The year 2009 will always be remembered as a very difficult year. On 4 April 2009, a touching introduction ceremony was held for the 2007 class named 'Médecins, Compagnons de la libération' (Doctors, Companions of the Liberation), with Professor François Jacob as special guest. In July, the official announcement of the Bordeaux naval medical school's closure was made public, putting an end to any remaining hope that some students may have harboured. The ASNOM annual general meeting (AGM) was held in October in Hyères Les Palmiers, where the future of the association was discussed, along with the various measures to take into consideration in light of the recent news.

On 10 April 2010, the formal introduction ceremony was held for the 2008 class, representing the last students to join the school. Its patron, Santé navale (naval medicine), was a highly symbolic choice which wrapped up the 120 years of the school's existence. It was an unforgettable day of sad goodbyes to the school. The AGM that year set out to be both responsible and dignified, since ASNOM now remains the only entity to carry the flame of the legacy of this era. Various measures have been taken to ensure the transmission of this legacy to the younger generations, as well as all for those upholding this mind-set that was unique to the school. As it never rains but it pours, the prospect of closing the Pharo has also been notified for 2013.

The AGM in 2010 was held at the very same place where the navalais studied, i.e. the faculty of medicine and pharmacy on the Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux. This event was marked by an exhibition on the school; it involved a series of historical conferences and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the faculty hall. The plaque recalls the fact that, over 120 years, its students had accrued the knowledge needed to treat the various populations placed in their able hands, thereby reflecting the excellence of the Bordeaux medical school across the world.

On 17 June 2011, the very last military event was organised at the naval medical school. With great sobriety and charged with tangible emotion, this event marked the inevitable end of a great human epic. In light of the exceptional circumstances, those currently pursuing their studies at the school can, if they so desire, finish their course at one of the universities in Bordeaux or transfer to Bron in Lyon, where the new school called the Ecole de Santé des Armées (French military medical school) officially opened its doors on 1 July 2011.

ASNOM must adjust to this new situation. It is of course continuing its own activities, but more specifically, it must live up to its responsibilities in terms of safeguarding the memory of the Bordeaux naval medical school, now an indisputable and preponderant objective. ASNOM's new articles of association will be presented to its members in the near future so as to consolidate its role in the forthcoming years.

This page was updated in april 2012
A.S.N.O.M.