Items related to Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris
Hysteria as a disease no longer exists, but in the nineteenth century hysteria was thought to affect half of all women in one of its myriad forms. In 1862 the famous and infamous Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, under the reign of renowned neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, became the focal point for study of the mysterious illness. Physicians could find no cause, which meant a cure was not possible, but Charcot concentrated on treating the symptoms; with hypnosis, gongs, tuning forks, piercing and the evocation of demons and saints. Charcot's studies at the hospital were controversial, and brought him into conflict with the church as well as his colleagues. But despite this, Charcot was known as hysteria's ultimate authority and his experiments became both a fascinating and a fashionable spectacle. The women were photographed, sculpted, painted and sketched, and demonstrations attracted eager crowds of medical students, physicians, writers, artists and socialites. Medical Muses tells the stories of Blanche, Augustine and Genevieve, young women who found themselves in Charcot's ward as medical celebrities. But who were they? What were they suffering from? And what role did they play in their own curious celebrity? The stories of these women, and in fact, of all of the women institutionalised for hysteria in the Salpetriere, have never been fully told. Theirs is a strange tale of science and ideology, medicine and the occult, of hypnotism, sadism, love and theatre. Combing hospital records, municipal archives, memoirs and letters, Asti Hustvedt uncovers fascinating new material and sheds new light on a crucial moment in psychiatric history.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Fascinating and beautifully written (Guardian)
Fascinating ... gives us a disturbing insight into the extent to which doctors, patients and diseases, both then and now, are products of their time (Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times)
Thoughtful and engrossing (Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph)
The thoroughly researched, very readable material brings to life their strange and remarkable stories, told in meticulous detail, as well as the brilliance and brutality of the great physician (Independent)
Consistently enthralling (Kathryn Harrison, New York Times)
Fascinating ... This account of psychiatry in its infancy is unforgettable (Lesley McDowell Independent on Sunday)
Asti Hustvedt has tapped into a deeply fascinating seam of medical history here ... Her descriptions of patients, and of Jean-Martin Charcot, the doctor who treated them, are peerless (William Leith Scotsman)
Book Description:
Fascinating ... gives us a disturbing insight into the extent to which doctors, patients and diseases, both then and now, are products of their time (Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times)
Thoughtful and engrossing (Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph)
The thoroughly researched, very readable material brings to life their strange and remarkable stories, told in meticulous detail, as well as the brilliance and brutality of the great physician (Independent)
Consistently enthralling (Kathryn Harrison, New York Times)
Fascinating ... This account of psychiatry in its infancy is unforgettable (Lesley McDowell Independent on Sunday)
Asti Hustvedt has tapped into a deeply fascinating seam of medical history here ... Her descriptions of patients, and of Jean-Martin Charcot, the doctor who treated them, are peerless (William Leith Scotsman)
A groundbreaking new book about the nineteenth century obsession with hysteria, focussing on the renowned Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1408815125
- ISBN 13 9781408815120
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages384
- Rating
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