Joseph Capgras (1873–1950). Sa vie, son œuvre

Abstract

His qualities as a clinician and the publication in 1909 of his book, written with his mentor Paul Sérieux, “Reasoning madnesses. Misinterpretative delusional states”, brought Joseph Capgras considerable fame and in the 1930s his ward in Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris was particularly sought after (one of his residents was Henri Ellenberger who regarded him as his favourite teacher). Howewer, if the name of Capgras is known all over the world, it is because of his description in 1923 of the “syndrome d’illusion des sosies” which now bears his name. Although the isolation of the “Capgras's syndrome” can be understood according to the initial model represented by the “Misinterpretative delusional states”, Capgras attached far more importance to psychogenesis and phenomena which were, in his opinion, neurologically defective in appearance only. An honourable man in his time, enemy of all dogmatism, Joseph Capgras published many papers on erotomania and showed himself to be a determined adversary of the ideas defended by his famous colleague Clérambault.