Edouard Seguin
Encyclopedia
Édouard Séguin was a physician and educationist who was born in Clamecy, Nièvre
. He is remembered for his work with children having cognitive impairments in France and the United States.
He studied at the Collège d’Auxerre and the Lycée Saint-Louis
in Paris
, and from 1837 studied and worked under Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
, who was an educator of deaf-mute individuals, that included the celebrated case of Victor of Aveyron
, also known as "The Wild Child
". It was Itard who persuaded Séguin to dedicate himself to study the causes, as well as the training of the mentally retarded. As a young man Séguin was also influenced by the ideas of utopian socialist Henri de Saint-Simon.
Around 1840 he established the first private school in Paris dedicated to the education of the mentally handicapped, and in 1846 published Traitement Moral, Hygiène, et Education des Idiots (The Moral Treatment, Hygiene, and Education of Idiots and Other Backward Children). This work is considered to be the earliest systematic textbook dealing with the special needs of children with mental disabilities.
Following the European revolutions of 1848
, Séguin emigrated to the United States, where he eventually settled in Ohio as a medical practitioner. Later he relocated to New York State and set up a medical practice in Mount Vernon
(1860). In 1863 he moved to the New York City
, where he made efforts to improve conditions of handicapped children at the Randall's Island
asylum.
In the United States he established a number of schools in various cities for treatment of the mentally handicapped.
In 1866 he published "Idiocy: and its Treatment by the Physiological Method"; in which he described the methods used at the "Séguin Physiological School" in New York City. Programs used in Séguin's schools stressed the importance of developing self-reliance and independence in the mentally disabled by giving them a combination of physical and intellectual tasks.
Édouard Séguin became the first president of the "Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feebleminded Persons", which would later be known as the American Association on Mental Retardation
. His work with the mentally handicapped was a major inspiration to Italian educator Maria Montessori
.
In the 1870s Séguin published three works in the field of thermometry; Thermometres physiologiques (Paris, 1873); Tableaux de thermometrie mathematique (1873); and Medical Thermometry and Human Temperature (New York, 1876). He also devised a special "physiological thermometer
" in which zero was the standard temperature of health. Also a medical symptom known as "Séguin's signal" is named after him, which is described as an involuntary muscle contraction prior to an epileptic attack.
Clamecy, Nièvre
Clamecy is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.Clamecy is the capital of an arrondissement in the department of Nièvre, at the confluence of the Yonne and Beuvron and on the Canal du Nivernais, 46 m. N.N.E...
. He is remembered for his work with children having cognitive impairments in France and the United States.
He studied at the Collège d’Auxerre and the Lycée Saint-Louis
Lycée Saint-Louis
The lycée Saint-Louis is a higher education establishment located in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, in the Latin Quarter. It is the only public French lycée exclusively dedicated to classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and from 1837 studied and worked under Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard was a French physician born in Provence.Without a university education and working at a bank, he was forced to enter the army during the French Revolution but presented himself as a physician at that time...
, who was an educator of deaf-mute individuals, that included the celebrated case of Victor of Aveyron
Victor of Aveyron
Victor of Aveyron was a feral child who apparently lived his entire childhood naked and alone in the woods before being found wandering the woods near Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, France, in 1797. He was captured, but soon escaped after being displayed in the town...
, also known as "The Wild Child
The Wild Child
The Wild Child is a French film by director François Truffaut. The film features Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner and Jean Dasté. The film had a total of 1,458,164 admissions in France...
". It was Itard who persuaded Séguin to dedicate himself to study the causes, as well as the training of the mentally retarded. As a young man Séguin was also influenced by the ideas of utopian socialist Henri de Saint-Simon.
Around 1840 he established the first private school in Paris dedicated to the education of the mentally handicapped, and in 1846 published Traitement Moral, Hygiène, et Education des Idiots (The Moral Treatment, Hygiene, and Education of Idiots and Other Backward Children). This work is considered to be the earliest systematic textbook dealing with the special needs of children with mental disabilities.
Following the European revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, Séguin emigrated to the United States, where he eventually settled in Ohio as a medical practitioner. Later he relocated to New York State and set up a medical practice in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
(1860). In 1863 he moved to the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he made efforts to improve conditions of handicapped children at the Randall's Island
Randall's Island
Randall's Island is situated in the East River in New York City, part of the borough of Manhattan. It is separated from Manhattan island on the west by the river's main channel, from Queens on the east by the Hell Gate, and from the Bronx on the north by the Bronx Kill. It is joined to Wards...
asylum.
In the United States he established a number of schools in various cities for treatment of the mentally handicapped.
In 1866 he published "Idiocy: and its Treatment by the Physiological Method"; in which he described the methods used at the "Séguin Physiological School" in New York City. Programs used in Séguin's schools stressed the importance of developing self-reliance and independence in the mentally disabled by giving them a combination of physical and intellectual tasks.
Édouard Séguin became the first president of the "Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feebleminded Persons", which would later be known as the American Association on Mental Retardation
American Association on Mental Retardation
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is an American non-profit professional organization that advocates on behalf of those with mental retardation...
. His work with the mentally handicapped was a major inspiration to Italian educator Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, a noted humanitarian and devout Catholic best known for the philosophy of education which bears her name...
.
In the 1870s Séguin published three works in the field of thermometry; Thermometres physiologiques (Paris, 1873); Tableaux de thermometrie mathematique (1873); and Medical Thermometry and Human Temperature (New York, 1876). He also devised a special "physiological thermometer
Thermometer
Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer (from the...
" in which zero was the standard temperature of health. Also a medical symptom known as "Séguin's signal" is named after him, which is described as an involuntary muscle contraction prior to an epileptic attack.