Abbé de Coulmier
Encyclopedia
François Simonet de Coulmier (September 30, 1741 – June 4, 1818) was a French Catholic priest and abbot, and the director of the Charenton
insane asylum in France
in the early 19th century. He was often criticized for his "overly liberal" methods of treatment, as he favored allowing patients the right to express themselves via art
, and discouraged the more primitive habits of crude physical restraint and punishment of mental patients of the day.
Coulmier was born at Dijon
. His semi-enlightened administration of Charenton was of concern to France's medical establishment, which opposed Coulmier because he was not a medical doctor. He did not believe in many of the treatment practices which are nowadays termed brutal, including locking patients in a wicker cage, making use of straitjacket
s and using terror baths
. He also employed treatments that at the time were considered quite advanced, including diets
, bleeding
, and purges. After Napoleon's fall and the restoration of the Bourbons
, Coulmier was relieved of his duties, probably because of his revolutionary
past.
Despite his significant work in psychotherapy
, today de Coulmier is known primarily for his interactions with the Marquis de Sade
, having been the asylum director when Sade was institutionalized
. Coulmier provided Sade with writing supplies, permitted Sade's wife to live in the asylum, and allowed Sade to produce a play which featured other asylum residents as actors.
In the film Quills
, he was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix
; this drew criticism on the part of historians and disabled activists, as the real Coulmier was extremely short, and has been described as a hunchback
. Coulmier is also represented in Peter Weiss
's famous play The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade
.
Charenton (asylum)
Charenton was a lunatic asylum, founded in 1645 by the Frères de la Charité in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, now Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France....
insane asylum in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the early 19th century. He was often criticized for his "overly liberal" methods of treatment, as he favored allowing patients the right to express themselves via art
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
, and discouraged the more primitive habits of crude physical restraint and punishment of mental patients of the day.
Coulmier was born at Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
. His semi-enlightened administration of Charenton was of concern to France's medical establishment, which opposed Coulmier because he was not a medical doctor. He did not believe in many of the treatment practices which are nowadays termed brutal, including locking patients in a wicker cage, making use of straitjacket
Straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves and is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves or others. Once the arms are inserted into the straitjacket's sleeves, they are then crossed across the chest...
s and using terror baths
Dunking
Dunking is a form of torture and punishment that was applied to scolds and supposed witches.-As torture:In a trial by ordeal, supposed witches were immersed into a vat of water or pond, and taken out after some time, thus and given the opportunity to confess...
. He also employed treatments that at the time were considered quite advanced, including diets
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, bleeding
Bloodletting
Bloodletting is the withdrawal of often little quantities of blood from a patient to cure or prevent illness and disease. Bloodletting was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily fluid were considered to be "humors" the proper balance of which maintained health...
, and purges. After Napoleon's fall and the restoration of the Bourbons
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, Coulmier was relieved of his duties, probably because of his revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
past.
Despite his significant work in psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, today de Coulmier is known primarily for his interactions with the Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade
Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
, having been the asylum director when Sade was institutionalized
Involuntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
. Coulmier provided Sade with writing supplies, permitted Sade's wife to live in the asylum, and allowed Sade to produce a play which featured other asylum residents as actors.
In the film Quills
Quills
Quills is a 2000 period film directed by Philip Kaufman and adapted from the Obie award-winning play by Doug Wright, who also wrote the original screenplay. Inspired by the life and work of the Marquis de Sade, Quills re-imagines the last years of the Marquis' incarceration in the insane asylum at...
, he was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
; this drew criticism on the part of historians and disabled activists, as the real Coulmier was extremely short, and has been described as a hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
. Coulmier is also represented in Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
's famous play The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade
Marat/Sade
The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade , almost invariably shortened to Marat/Sade, is a 1963 play by Peter Weiss...
.