Victor Dumontpallier (1826–1899) et l’hystérie, ou l’infortune d’un plagiaire mystifié

Abstract

Victor Dumontpallier (1826–1899) was a contemporary of Jean-Martin Charcot. Both of them, along with Jules Luys, were chosen by Claude Bernard, on behalf of the French Academy of Medicine, to perform an expert assessment of Victor Burq's work on treatments for hysterical anaesthesia and paralysis involving the application of metal plates to desensitized areas. From that point forward, Dumontpallier gave up his earlier work, focused on gynecology, turning instead to hysteria and, especially, hypnotism. With the goal of out-doing Charcot and his lessons at La Salpêtrière, he opened his teachings not only to students and physicians but also to the public, which was fascinated by mysteries and the supernatural. With the help of two students, Paul Magnin and Edgar Bérillon, he imagined that he had discovered a special force in the human body, the “force neurique rayonnante” (radiating neuric force), which caused hypnosis. He supported spectacular research claims, e.g. “the functional independence of the cerebral hemispheres”. This scientific catastrophe shows how Charcot's fame led some of his Parisian colleagues to try to outdo him with phantasmagoria, tarnishing their reputations. They may have copied appearances, but they did not possess Charcot's knowledge.