Joseph Guillotin. Historical engraving of Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814), French physician, who proposed the use of the guillotine for decapitation in 1789. Although similar devices to the guillotine had been in use earlier, Guillotin's design became widely used, and the device was named after him. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), thousands of enemies of the revolutionaries were beheaded using this device, which consisted of a falling angled blade supported by two pillars.