Pierre Carle Édouard Potain (19 July 1825 – 5 January 1901) was a French cardiologist born in Paris. In 1853 he earned his doctorate from the University of Paris, and later worked as an assistant to Jules Baillarger (1809-1890) at the mental asylum in Ivry-sur-Seine. In 1856 he began work in the clinic of Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud (1796-1881), whom Potain regarded as a major influence to his career. Afterwards, he worked in various hospitals in Paris, including the Hôpital Saint-Antoine and Hôpital Necker. In 1861 he was appointed médecin des hôpitaux and an associate professor to the Paris medical faculty. In 1876 he attained the chair of pathology, and soon afterwards served as chair of clinical medicine. From 1882 to 1900 he was associated with the Hôpital de la Charité.