Main Entry: Beau's lines

Pronunciation: \ˈbōz-\

Function: noun plural

: transverse grooves or ridges on the nail plate that are temporary and usually occur after a severe illness

Beau \bō\ Joseph–Honoré–Simon (1806–1865), French physician. Beau successively served on the staffs of St. Antoine's and Cochin Hospitals. He is credited with being one of the first to apply physiological concepts to the study of pathology and with observing that functional disorders often precede anatomical disorders. His areas of research included epilepsy, dyspepsia, hysteria, and disorders of the heart and lungs. He is remembered for his descriptions of asystole, in 1836, and Beau's lines, in 1846.