Born in 1851 in La Porcherie, Haute-Vienne, Arsène d'Arsonval came from a family of doctors. First a high school student in Limoges, then at the Collège Sainte-Barbe, it was as a medical student that he attended Claude Bernard's lecture, where he made a name for himself by repairing a faulty galvanometer during a lecture. He became his assistant at the Collège de France in the early 1870s, until the professor's death. During this period, he gradually moved towards biological physics. He never practiced in a medical office or hospital, devoting himself to research and developing a parallel activity as an engineer.

In 1881, with the help of Paul Bert, he set up his biological physics laboratory at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) on rue Claude-Bernard, where he held the eponymous chair. This laboratory was later transferred to Nogent-sur-Marne, as the location was better suited to accommodate the bulky machines used by d'Arsonval.

He assisted Prof. Charles-ÉdouardBrown-Séquard, Claude Bernard's successor at the Collège de France, from 1878 to 1887, when he was officially appointed substitute professor. In 1894, following Brown-Séquard's death, he was elected to the Chair of Medicine, a position he held until his retirement in 1930. His lectures focused on the application of electricity to medicine.

Concurrently with his position at the Collège de France, he became a member of the Académie de Médecine in 1888 and of the Académie des Sciences in 1894, in the place vacated by Mr. Brown-Séquard.

He carried out research in a wide variety of fields, as evidenced by the numerous patents he filed. These relate to inventions in various fields: internal combustion engine, improved microphones, microphonic apparatus (developed in collaboration with Paul Bert), some of which have medical applications, such as the use of high frequencies in the treatment of certain diseases. In 1886, d'Arsonval adapted the principle of Hipp's chronoscope, which enabled him to measure very short time intervals, and created a chronometer, which took up much less space. In 1888, he described a way of making a special insulating container for storing liquefied gases, consisting of a double-glazed vacuum, the forerunner of the thermos flask.

At the same time, he was involved in a variety of projects, including the creation of the École supérieure d'électricité in 1894 and the Société française d'électrothérapie in 1897. He also supported his pupil Georges Claude, who patented one of the very first industrial processes for liquefying air. This innovation led to the founding of L'Air Liquide in 1902, ushering in a new era in the production and industrial use of gases. Arsène d'Arsonval was a shareholder in the company from the outset, and remained one of its directors until his death.

In 1938, the Institute paid tribute to him by organizing a jubilee to mark his fiftieth year at the Académie de Médecine.

Arsène d'Arsonval died on December 31, 1940.