Pathology and Visual Culture: The Scientific Artworks of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot and the Salpetriere School

In the 19th century, the Salpêtrière School, led by Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, produced pathological drawings, photographs, sculptures, and casts that combined scientific objectivity with artistic intervention. This book explores how these images and objects documented symptoms and neuropathology while defying disciplinary categorization, and is aimed at an international audience of historians, art, visual culture, medicine, and the medical humanities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 08 May 2024
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

In this captivating book, Natasha Ruiz-Gómez delves into an extraordinary collection of pathological drawings, photographs, sculptures, and casts created by neurologists at Paris' Hôpital de la Salpêtrière in the nineteenth century. Led by the visionary Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893) and collectively known as the Salpêtrière School, these savants-artistes produced works that showcased a profound engagement with contemporary artistic discourses and the rich history of art, all while professing their unwavering dedication to absolute objectivity.

Charcot, during his illustrious career, gained international recognition for his groundbreaking studies of hysteria and hypnosis, solidifying his position as a pioneer in modern neurology. However, this book unveils the often-overlooked contributions of other clinicians, such as Dr. Paul Richer, who ventured into the realm of "scientific artworks" that seamlessly merged scientific objectivity with artistic intervention. By challenging conventional interpretations of visual media in medicine, Ruiz-Gómez delves into the intricate ways in which these images and objects documented symptoms and neuropathology, defying rigid disciplinary categorizations.

This scholarly work is firmly rooted in extensive archival research, making it accessible to an international audience of historians, art enthusiasts, medical professionals, and scholars of the medical humanities. It will also captivate neurologists and anyone with an interest in the fin-de-siècle French history and culture. Through its meticulous exploration, Pathology and Visual Culture offers a fresh perspective on the intersection of medicine, art, and society, shedding light on the profound ways in which visual representations can shape our understanding of the human condition.

Weight: 1066g
Dimension: 254 x 203 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271096803