Les démoniaques dans l'art: Charcot and the “hysterical saints”

Abstract

Professor Jean-Martin Charcot was the founder of clinical neurology and one of the prominent researchers in the field of hysteria in the 19th century. His book Les démoniaques dans l'art is a representation of hysterical symptoms in religion and religious art. This paper aims to discuss Charcot's descriptions of hysteria in religion and his “hysterical saints”.

Keywords

• hysteria
• history of medicine
• religion and medicine
• art
• epilepsy