Neurologist or psychiatrist? The public and private domains of Jean-Martin Charcot.
The emergence of neurology as an autonomous, prestigious field in late-nineteenth-century Paris is well known. Less appreciated is the role that neurologists played vis-à-vis the cognate older field of psychiatry. Taking Jean-Martin Charcot, the most influential neurologist of his time, as a test case, this paper contrasts his attitudes and practice in the public setting of teaching and hospital work with his private practice. A staunch defender of a clear distinction between his field and psychiatry, Charcot's private practice displayed more flexibility. Treating hysteria and neurasthenia created a middle ground of nervous diseases for him to cultivate. Unpublished case histories and other materials, especially from the Charcot library, support the conception of neurologists as active agents in constituting a new psychological medicine.
Gelfand
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University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H8M5, Canada.
D005197:Famous Persons; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history*; D010297:Paris; D011331:Private Practice; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D013663:Teaching