Secretary, Colleague, and Friend of Jean-Martin Charcot

Abstract

The unpublished letters presented in this chapter, from Georges Gilles de la Tourette’s teacher Jean-Martin Charcot to Gilles de la Tourette, provide insight into the daily workings of Charcot’s famous La Salpêtrière department in the famous Parisian hospital. Charcot engaged a secretary to help him in his practice, and in 1887 he selected Gilles de la Tourette for this coveted post. By providing evidence of an exchange between the teacher and his student regarding hypnotism and hysteria, these letters also elucidate the quarrel between the Nancy and Salpêtrière Schools, especially during a famous trial, the Gouffé affair. Charcot’s esteem for and trust in Gilles de la Tourette are manifest.