Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris

A fascinating study of three young female hysterics who shaped our early notions of psychology. Blanche, Augustine, and Geneviève found themselves in the hysteria ward of the Salpetrière Hospital in 1870s Paris, where their care was directed by the prominent neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. They became medical celebrities: every week, eager crowds arrived at the hospital to observe their symptoms; they were photographed, sculpted, painted, and transformed into characters in novels. The remarkable story of their lives as patients in the clinic is a strange amalgam of intimate details and public exposure, science and religion, medicine and the occult, hypnotism, love, and theater. But who were Blanche, Augustine, and Geneviève? What role did they play in their own peculiar form of stardom? And what exactly were they suffering from? Hysteria―with its dramatic seizures, hallucinations, and reenactments of past traumas―may be an illness of the past, but the notions of femininity that lie behind it offer insights into disorders of the present. 40 black-and-white illustrations
ASIN: 0393025608
VSKU: BVV.0393025608.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Hustvedt, Asti
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.