Jean-Martin Charcot (29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French
neurologistNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and professor of
anatomical pathologyAnatomical pathology or Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies .Anatomical pathology is itself divided in subspecialties, the...
. He is known as "the founder of modern neurology" and is "associated with at least 15 medical
eponymAn eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named. One who is referred to as eponymous is someone who gives his or her name to something, e.g...
s", including
Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseaseCharcot-Marie-Tooth disease , known also as Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy , Hereditary Sensorimotor Neuropathy , or Peroneal Muscular Atrophy, is a heterogeneous inherited disorder of nerves that is characterized by loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation, predominantly in the feet and...
and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosisAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a form of motor neuron disease. ALS, sometimes called Maladie de Charcot, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement...
(Lou Gehrig's disease).
His work greatly influenced the developing fields of neurology and
psychologyPsychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and sometimes scientific, study of human or animal mental functions and behavior...
. He was the "foremost neurologist of late nineteenth-century France" and has been called "the Napoleon of the neuroses".
Life
Born in Paris, France, Charcot worked and taught at the famous Salpêtrière Hospital for 33 years. His reputation as an instructor drew students from all over Europe. In 1882, he established a neurology clinic at Salpêtrière, which was the first of its kind in Europe.
Charcot's primary focus was neurology. He named and was the first to describe
multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is an idiopathic disease of suspected autoimmune cause, in which the body's immune response attacks a person's central nervous system , leading to demyelination. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females...
. He was also the first to describe a disorder known as Charcot joint or Charcot arthropathy, a degeneration of joint surfaces resulting from loss of
proprioceptionProprioception is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body...
. He researched the functions of different parts of the brain and the role of arteries in cerebral hemorrhage.
Charcot was among the first to describe
Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseaseCharcot-Marie-Tooth disease , known also as Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy , Hereditary Sensorimotor Neuropathy , or Peroneal Muscular Atrophy, is a heterogeneous inherited disorder of nerves that is characterized by loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation, predominantly in the feet and...
(CMT). The announcement was made simultaneously with
Pierre MariePierre Marie was a French neurologist who was a native of Paris.After finishing medical school, he became an interne in 1878, where he was an assistant to the famous neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot at the Salpêtrière and Bicêtre Hospitals...
of France (his resident) and
Howard Henry ToothHoward Henry Tooth was a British neurologist and one of the discoverers of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease....
of England. The disease is also sometimes called peroneal muscular atrophy.
In 1861 and 1862, Charcot, with
Alfred VulpianEdmé Félix Alfred Vulpian was a French physician and neurologist. He was the co-discoverer of Vulpian-Bernard spinal muscular atrophy and the Vulpian-Heidenhain-Sherrington phenomenon....
, added more symptoms to
James ParkinsonJames Parkinson was an English apothecary surgeon, geologist, paleontologist, and political activist. He is most famous for his 1817 work, , in which he was the first to describe "paralysis agitans", a condition that would later be named Parkinson's disease after him.-Early life:James Parkinson...
's clinical description and then subsequently attached the name
Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions....
to the syndrome.
Charcot's most enduring work was on
hypnosisHypnosis is a mental state or set of attitudes usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be...
and
hysteriaHysteria, in its colloquial use, describes a state of mind, one of unmanageable fear or emotional excesses. The fear is often caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part or most commonly on an imagined problem with that...
. He believed that hysteria was a neurological disorder caused by hereditary problems in the nervous system. He used hypnosis to induce a state of hysteria in patients and studied the results, and was single-handedly responsible for changing the French medical community's opinion about the validity of hypnosis (it was previously rejected as Mesmerism).
Charcot's works about hypnosis and his public demonstrations of "hypnotized" persons in an auditorium were sharply criticized by
Hippolyte BernheimHippolyte Bernheim was a French physician and neurologist, born at Mülhausen, Alsace. He received his education in his native town and at the University of Strasbourg, where he was graduated as doctor of medicine in 1867...
, a leading neurologist of the time, and by Charcot's former scientific assistant
Axel MuntheAxel Martin Fredrik Munthe was a Swedish physician and psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele , an autobiographical account of his work and life....
in his famous memoirs
The Story of San MicheleThe Story of San Michele is a book of memoirs by Swedish physician Axel Munthe first published in 1929 by British publisher John Murray. Written in English, it was a best-seller in numerous languages and has been republished constantly in the over seven decades since its original...
.
Eponyms
Charcot's name is associated with many diseases and conditions including:
- Charcot's artery (lenticulostriate artery)
- Charcot's joint
Neuropathic osteoarthropathy, also known as Charcot joint , refers to progressive degeneration of a weight bearing joint, a process marked by bony destruction, bone resorption, and eventual deformity...
(diabetic arthropathyAn arthropathy is a disease of a joint. Although the terms "arthropathy" and arthritis have very similar meanings, the former is traditionally used to describe the following conditions:...
)
- Charcot's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a form of motor neuron disease. ALS, sometimes called Maladie de Charcot, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement...
, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease , known also as Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy , Hereditary Sensorimotor Neuropathy , or Peroneal Muscular Atrophy, is a heterogeneous inherited disorder of nerves that is characterized by loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation, predominantly in the feet and...
(peroneal muscular atrophyAtrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply to the target organ, disuse or lack of exercise or disease intrinsic to the tissue itself...
)
- Charcot Wilbrand syndrome (visual agnosia
Visual agnosia is the inability of the brain to make sense of or make use of some part of otherwise normal visual stimulus and is typified by the inability to recognize familiar objects or faces...
and loss of ability to revisualise images)
- Charcot's intermittent hepatic fever (intermittent pain, intermittent fever, intermittent jaundice, and loss of weight)
- Charcot-Bouchard aneurysm
Charcot-Bouchard aneurysms are aneurysms of the brain vasculature which occur in small blood vessels . They should not be confused with saccular aneurysms , which occur in larger-sized blood vessels. Charcot-Bouchard aneurysms are most often located in the brainstem...
s (tiny aneurysms of the penetrating branches of middle cerebral artery in hypertensives)
- Charcot's triad
Charcot's neurologic triad is the combination of nystagmus, intention tremor, and scanning or staccato speech. This triad is associated with multiple sclerosis, where it was first described; however, it is not considered pathognomonic for it. It is named for Jean-Martin Charcot.-See also:*Charcot's...
- Charcot arthropathy
Charcot arthropathy is a progressive musculoskeletal condition characterized by joint dislocation, fractures and deformities. It results in progressive destruction of bone and soft tissue of weight-bearing joints, most commonly in the foot and ankle...
- Charcot-Lyden crystals due to eosinophils white blood cells lysis in cases of allergic diseases.
Also,
Charcot IslandCharcot Island or Charcot Land is an island of the British Antarctic Territory, 30 miles long and 25 miles wide, which is ice covered except for prominent mountains overlooking the north coast, 55 miles west of Alexander Island.-History:...
in Antarctica was named in his honor by his son,
Jean-Baptiste CharcotJean-Baptiste Charcot , born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a French scientist, medical doctor and polar scientist. His father was the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot ....
.
Legacy
Charcot is just as famous for his students:
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
,
Joseph BabinskiJoseph Jules François Félix Babinski was a Polish neurologist. He is best known for his 1896 description of the Babinski sign, a pathological plantar reflex indicative of corticospinal tract damage.-Life:...
,
Pierre JanetPierre Marie Félix Janet was a pioneering French psychologist, philosopher and psychotherapist in the field of dissociation and traumatic memory....
,
William JamesWilliam James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher trained as a medical doctor. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and the philosophy of pragmatism...
,
Pierre MariePierre Marie was a French neurologist who was a native of Paris.After finishing medical school, he became an interne in 1878, where he was an assistant to the famous neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot at the Salpêtrière and Bicêtre Hospitals...
,
Albert LondeAlbert Londe was an influential French photographer, medical researcher and chronophotographer. He is remembered for his work as a medical photographer at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, funded by the Parisian authorities, as well as being a pioneer in X-ray photography.During his two decades...
,
Charles-Joseph BouchardCharles-Joseph Bouchard was a French pathologist born in Montier-en-Der, a commune the department of Haute-Marne. He studied medicine in Lyon and Paris, where he obtained his doctorate in 1866. In 1874 he became a physician at Bicêtre Hospital, and in 1879 was appointed chair of general pathology...
,
Georges Gilles de la TouretteGeorges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette was a French neurologist who is the eponym of Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition.During 1873 Tourette began medical studies at Poitiers...
,
Axel MuntheAxel Martin Fredrik Munthe was a Swedish physician and psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele , an autobiographical account of his work and life....
, and
Alfred BinetAlfred Binet , French psychologist and inventor of the first usable intelligence test, the basis of today's IQ test. His principal goal was to identify students who needed special help in coping with the school curriculum...
. Charcot bestowed the
eponymAn eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named. One who is referred to as eponymous is someone who gives his or her name to something, e.g...
for
Tourette syndromeTourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically...
in honor of his student, Georges Gilles de la Tourette.
Charcot appears, along with Maria Skłodowska-Curie (Madame Curie) and Charcot's patient "Blanche" (Marie Wittman), in
Per Olov EnquistPer Olov Enquist, better known as P. O. Enquist, is one of Sweden's internationally best known authors. He has worked as a journalist, playwright, and novelist...
's 2004 novel
The Book about Blanche and Marie (English translation, 2006, ISBN 1-58567-668-3). He also appears in the 2005 novel by
Sebastian FaulksSebastian Charles Faulks CBE FRSL is a British novelist and journalist.-Biography:Faulks is the son of Pamela and Peter Ronald Faulks, a Berkshire solicitor who later became a judge. He grew up in Newbury. His mother was both cultured and highly strung. She introduced him to reading and music at...
,
Human TracesHuman Traces is a 2005 novel by Sebastian Faulks, best known as the British author of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray. The novel took Faulks five years to write...
, and in
Axel MuntheAxel Martin Fredrik Munthe was a Swedish physician and psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele , an autobiographical account of his work and life....
's 1929 memoir
The Story of San MicheleThe Story of San Michele is a book of memoirs by Swedish physician Axel Munthe first published in 1929 by British publisher John Murray. Written in English, it was a best-seller in numerous languages and has been republished constantly in the over seven decades since its original...
. In a letter to the
New York Times Book Review of January 18, 1931, however, Charcot's son wrote that 'Dr Munthe never was trained by my father'. And in his 2008 biography of Munthe (ISBN 978-1-84511-720-7), Bengt Jangfeldt says that 'Charcot is not mentioned in a single letter of Axel's out of the hundreds that have been preserved from his Paris years.'
Further reading
- Bernheim, Hippolyte: Hypnotisme et suggestion: Doctrine de la Salpêtrière et doctrine de Nancy. -in: Le Temps, 29 January 1891.
- Carrez, Jean-Pierre: Femmes opprimées à la Salpêtrière. Paris, 2005.
- Gauchet, Marcel; Swain, Gladys: Le vrai Charcot: les chemins imprévus de l’inconscient. Paris, 1997.
- Georges Didi-Huberman: Die Erfindung der Hysterie. Die photographische Klinik von Jean-Martin Charcot. Paderborn: Fink 1997. ISBN 3-7705-3148-5 (frz. Erstausgabe 1982)
- Goetz CG, Bonduelle M, and Gelfand T (1995): Charcot: Constructing Neurology. New York, Oxford University Press.
- Guillain G (1959): J.-M. Charcot (1825-1893): His Life - His Work. (Bailey P trans.). New York, Paul B. Hoeber.
- Thuillier, Jean: Monsieur Charcot de la Salpêtrière. Paris, 1993.
- Werner Brück: Erotisierte Darstellungen hysteroepileptischer Frauen. Norderstedt, 2008. ISBN 3-8370-6917-6
External links
- Biography and bibliography in the Virtual Laboratory
The online project Virtual Laboratory. Essays and Resources on the Experimentalization of Life, 1830-1930, located at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, is dedicated to research in the history of the experimentalization of life...
of the Max Planck Institute for the History of ScienceThe Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin was established in March 1994. Its research is primarily devoted to a theoretically oriented history of science, principally of the natural sciences, but with methodological perspectives drawn from the cognitive sciences and from...