Dr. Louis Dugas came from an accomplished and well-educated French West Indies family. He studied under renowned professors and physicians in Philadelphia, Maryland and France. In 1831, he joined the MCG faculty. In 1834, each faculty member contributed $1,000 for him to go to Europe to purchase materials for a library and museum. He returned with a fine and valuable collection, most of which has been preserved and is currently housed in the Historical Collections of the Greenblatt Library. His service as dean came during the trying times of the Civil War and its aftermath. He served as editor of the Southern Medical and Surgical Journal for seven years and made voluminous contributions to medical literature. He developed a test for dislocation of the shoulder still used today (Dugas sign). He was often far ahead of his time in medical practice. His insights into the origins of yellow fever foreshadowed the discovery of its transmission by mosquito and he used animal sutures years before it became commonplace. He was the only surgeon south of Virginia to perform the Civiale technique of lithotrity (crushing a urinary stone within the bladder), and the only U.S. surgeon performing ligature of the ischiatic artery for aneurysm. He outlined a bold approach for treating abdominal wounds with which he claimed success. One of his more controversial techniques was the use of a hypnotic trance on a patient during surgery who reported no pain. He also was involved with civic affairs, serving on the City Council repeatedly, and helped erect the Signers Monument recognizing the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Dr. Louis Alexander Dugas was first married to the former Miss Mary Catherine Barnes; with whom he had one child, Mary Elizabeth Dugas. After Mary died in December 1833, Louis later married to the former Miss Lousia Virginia Harris on March 16th 1840 in Augusta, Georgia. They had eight children.