Hippolyte Bernheim
Encyclopedia
Hippolyte Bernheim was a French physician and neurologist, born at Mülhausen, Alsace
. He received his education in his native town and at the University of Strasbourg
, where he was graduated as doctor of medicine in 1867. The same year he became a lecturer at the university and established himself as a physician in the city.
, Strasbourg
passed to Germany
, Bernheim
moved to Nancy (where he met and later collaborated with Dr. Ambroise-Auguste Liébeault
), in the university of which town he became clinical professor.
Albert Moll (1862–1939), an active promoter of hypnotism in Germany, went to Nancy and studied with Bernheim. Bernheim also had an influence on Sigmund Freud
, who had visited Bernheim in 1889, and witnessed some of his experiments, though he was known as an antagonist of Jean-Martin Charcot
(Freud was a student of Charcot).
English translations:
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. He received his education in his native town and at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
, where he was graduated as doctor of medicine in 1867. The same year he became a lecturer at the university and established himself as a physician in the city.
Nancy
When, in 1871, after the Franco-Prussian warFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
passed to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Bernheim
Bernheim
Bernheim is a surname and may refer to:* Alain Bernheim, French Masonic author* Alain Bernheim , French-born American film producer and literary agent* Emmanuèle Bernheim , French writer* Ernst Bernheim , German-Jewish historian...
moved to Nancy (where he met and later collaborated with Dr. Ambroise-Auguste Liébeault
Ambroise-Auguste Liébeault
Ambroise-Auguste Liébeault was a French physician universally acknowledged as the founder of the famous school that became known as the "Nancy School", or the "Suggestion School", and he is considered by many to...
), in the university of which town he became clinical professor.
Hypnotism
When the medical faculty took up hypnotism, about 1880, Bernheim was very enthusiastic, and soon became one of the leaders of the investigation. He became a well-known authority in this new field of medicine.Albert Moll (1862–1939), an active promoter of hypnotism in Germany, went to Nancy and studied with Bernheim. Bernheim also had an influence on Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, who had visited Bernheim in 1889, and witnessed some of his experiments, though he was known as an antagonist of Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He is known as "the founder of modern neurology" and is "associated with at least 15 medical eponyms", including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...
(Freud was a student of Charcot).
Works
Bernheim wrote many works, of which the following may be mentioned here:- "Des Fièvres Typhiques en Général," Strasburg, 1868;
- "Leçon de Clinique Médicale," Paris, 1877;
- "De la Suggestion dans l'État Hypnotique et dans l'État de Veille," Paris, 1884;
- "De la Suggestion et de son Application à la Thérapeutique," Paris, 1887.
English translations:
- Bernheim, H., (Herter, C.A. trans.), Suggestive Therapeutics: A Treatise on the Nature and Uses of Hypnotism, (De la Suggestion et de son Application à la Thérapeutique, [Second Edition], 1887), G.P. Putnam's Sons, (New York), 1889.
- Bernheim H., New Studies in Hypnotism, [Trans. by Sandor R.S, of Bernheim's French (1891) Hypnotisme, Suggestion, Psychothérapie: Études Nouvelles], International University's Press, (New York), 1980.
Further reading
- Alexandre Klein, "Et Nancy devint la capitale de l'hypnose" http://www.estrepublicain.fr/fr/philosophie/info/5262459-Et-Nancy-devint-capitale-de-l-hypnose
- Alexandre Klein,« Nouveau regard sur l’Ecole hypnologique de Nancy à partir d’archives inédites », Le Pays Lorrain, 2010/4, p. 337-348.
- Alexandre Klein,« “Lire le corps pour percer l’âme” : outils et appareils à l’aube de la psychologie scientifique à Nancy », Guignard, L., Raggi, P., Thévenin, E., (dir.), 2011, Corps et machines à l’âge industriel, Rennes, PUR, p. 41-54.