 Coutard was inspired by the observations of Claudius Regaud, who found that a single dose of x-rays sufficient enough to produce severe skin damage and tissue destruction in a rabbit, if administered in fractions, over a course of days, would sterilize the rabbit but have no effect on subcutaneous tissues.By 1934, Coutard had developed a protracted, fractionated process that remains the basis for current radiation therapy.Coutard's dosage and fractionation were designed to create a severe but recoverable acute mucosal reaction.