French Provincial Neurology: A Look at Breton Figures from the 19th and 20th Centuries
Objective:
To describe the development of neurology in Brittany (a region located in northwestern France) and review notable clinicians and scientists who significantly contributed to French neurology and neurosciences.
Background:
The history of neurology in France is generally confined to a few major Parisian figures, and notably to Jean-Martin Charcot, whose chair of diseases of the nervous system in 1892, was a first in the academic world. However, Paris was not the only place in France where neurology, psychiatry and psychology have undergone significant development and progress.
Design/Methods:
A literature search for French articles related to Brittany and neurology between 1800 and 1960 was undertaken, using various databases such as Calames, BnF Gallica Archives, JStor, Internet Archive and Google Scholar.
Results:
Augustin Morvan (1819-1897) practiced medicine in rural Brittany, but described the neurological semiology of syringomyelia and of the "fibrillary chorea" ("Morvan's syndrome"). Théodule-Armand Ribot (1839-1916), born in Guingamp, was a pioneer of the development of French psychology, and Chair of Experimental and Comparative Psychology at the Collège de France (1889). Benjamin Bourdon (1860-1943) was the founder of the first university laboratory for experimental psychology (1896), and an acclaimed psychologist who appeared in Murchison's "A history of psychology in autobiography". Maurice Dide
(1873-1944) described the "Dide-Botcazo syndrome" while working in Rennes' asylum in 1902. In 1905, Rennes hosted the 15th session of the traditional congress of alienists and neurologists from France and French-speaking countries. The first half of the 20th century saw the creation of a military neurological center during the first World War (Maurice Chiray, André Léri) and of a Chair of Neurosurgery in 1949.
Conclusions:
Contrary to popular belief, the history of French neurology is not limited to the Salpêtrière. Brittany was home to a number of figures whose contributions to the fields of psychology, neurology and psychiatry are significant.
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