Author Description
The 19th Century Brought Many Medical Advances And Discoveries In Neurology, With The Famed Parisian La Salpêtrière Hospital At Its Center. Medical Giants Such As Jean-martin Charcot, Joseph Babinski, And Even For A Short Time Sigmund Freud, Walked These Halls, So It Is A Wonder That, An Equal Among These Men, Very Little Exists In The Literature On Georges Gilles De La Tourette. This Biography Is The First Comprehensive Volume To Delve Into The Life, Scholarship, Writing, And Hobbies Of The Famed Doctor. In Part One, We Learn Georges' Family History, Follow His Schooling And Mentorship Under Charcot, Travel To The Worlds Fair Of 1900, Evade An Attempted Assassination, All Before Succumbing To Death By Syphilis. Part Two Provides An In-depth Analysis Of His Neurological And Psychiatric Works, Notably The Epynomous Neurological Disorder That Will Forever Remain Tourette's Syndrome. Part Three Looks At The Lighter Side Of Georges, Inspecting His Favorite Past-times As Poet, Historian, And Art Critic. Part Four Brings An Extensive Bibliography Of Georges' Complete Body Of Work. Author Olivier Walusinski Pulls Together Unpublished Family Archives, Georges' Correspondence With The Parisian Journalist Georges Montorgueil, Journal Articles, And Police Archives To Shed An Original Light On The Famed Doctor's Life And Lasting Legacy. These Archives Have Never Before Been Studied Or Made Available To The Public, Making This One Of The First And Most Comprehensive Biographies Available And A Must-have For Any Medical Library.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This biography investigates the life, professional contributions, and personal history of the neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who has remained largely under-documented despite his significant role in 19th-century medicine. Author Olivier Walusinski, a medical doctor, utilizes previously unpublished family archives, personal correspondence, and police records to construct a comprehensive portrait of the man behind the eponymous syndrome. The work argues that Tourette’s influence extended well beyond his neurological research, encompassing his interests in history, poetry, and art criticism.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed biographical account of Tourette’s family history and medical education under Jean-Martin Charcot.
- Analysis of Tourette’s neurological and psychiatric publications, including the clinical definition of his namesake syndrome.
- Examination of Tourette’s extracurricular pursuits as a poet, historian, and art critic.
- An extensive bibliography of the subject’s complete body of work.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the professional and personal life of Georges Gilles de la Tourette and does not provide a broad history of 19th-century neurology beyond his immediate circle.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this volume as a significant contribution to medical history due to its reliance on previously inaccessible primary source materials. Readers frequently note the thoroughness of the research and the author's ability to contextualize Tourette's life within the vibrant medical landscape of the La Salpêtrière hospital.
Page Count:
560
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190636041
ISBN-13:
9780190636043
Biography
Non-Fiction
Neurology
MEDICAL History
Medicine history