Ironically,theguillotine,whichbecamethesymboloftheexcessesoftheFrenchRevolution,wasnamedforahumanitarianphysician,JosephGuillotin.
AmemberoftheFrenchConstituentAssembly,Guillotinbeseechedhisfellowrevolutionariestooutlawinhumaneformsofexecution,arguingthatbeheadingbymachinewasquickerandlesspainfulthanexecutionsbyhangingorbythesword.Hisspeechbecamesowellknownthat,althoughheneitherinventednordesignedthedevicethatwassubsequentlybuilt,hisnamewasattachedtoit.TheguillotinesoontookcentrestageintheRevolution,as14000"enemiesofthestate"werebroughttoliebeneathitsblade.
AfterGuillotin'sdeathin1814,hischildrenchangedtheirnamesbecausetheirfamilynamewasnowsynonymouswithrevolutionaryterror.
吉約坦斷頭臺是法國大革命凶殘暴虐的象徵。可歎的是，這刑具竟然以仁醫約瑟夫．吉約坦的姓氏為名。
吉約坦是法國國民大會成員，他要求革命同志取締不人道的處決方式，認為以機器斬首，比絞刑或刀砍腦袋都要快，而且沒有那麼痛苦。由於他這番話膾炙人口，後來建成的斷頭臺雖然不是由他發明或設計，卻以「吉約坦」為名。不久，吉約坦斷頭臺就成為大革命的主角，一萬四千個「國賊」被帶到臺上，躺在其刀鋒下受死。
一八一四年，吉約坦去世，他的兒女都更換姓名，因為祖傳姓氏已成為恐怖革命的同義詞。