Valentin Magnan
Encyclopedia
Valentin Magnan was a French psychiatrist
who was a native of Perpignan
.
He studied medicine in Lyon
and Paris
, where he was a student of Jules Baillarger
(1809-1890) and Jean-Pierre Falret
(1794-1870). From 1867 to the end of his career he was associated with the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris.
Magnan was an influential figure in French psychiatry in the latter half of the 19th century. He is remembered for expanding the concept of degeneration
that was first introduced into psychiatry by Bénédict Augustin Morel
(1809-1873). Magnan's theory of degeneration was a form of "evolutionary biology" that was based on an hereditary precept. He used terms such as bouffée délirante (transitory delusional psychosis
) and délire chronique évolution systématique (chronic systemized delusional disorder) as descriptive categories of mental illness. In 1892 with psychiatrist Paul Sérieux
(1864-1947), he published a monograph on the latter mental state titled Le délire chronique a évolution systématique.
Magnan believed that the prodiguous use of alcohol, particularly absinthe, was a major factor in what he perceived was a decline of French culture. In his investigations of absinthe he tried to establish a particular "absinthe effect" that wasn't present in other forms of alcohol, and suggested that the delirium of absinthe was different from delirium tremens
experienced in alcoholism
. In his research with laboratory animals, Magnan used essence of absinthe (wormwood), rather than the beverage itself, which contains only a small percentage of wormwood. From his experiments he observed that animals experienced epileptiform convulsions when exposed to concentrated levels of wormwood.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who was a native of Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
.
He studied medicine in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and 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...
, where he was a student of Jules Baillarger
Jules Baillarger
Jules Baillarger, full name Jules Gabriel François Baillarger was a French neurologist and psychiatrist who was born in Montbazon....
(1809-1890) and Jean-Pierre Falret
Jean-Pierre Falret
Jean-Pierre Falret was a French psychiatrist born in Marseille.In 1811 he began his medical studies in Paris, where he was inspired by the work of Philippe Pinel and Jean Étienne Dominique Esquirol...
(1794-1870). From 1867 to the end of his career he was associated with the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris.
Magnan was an influential figure in French psychiatry in the latter half of the 19th century. He is remembered for expanding the concept of degeneration
Degeneration
The idea of degeneration had significant influence on science, art and politics from the 1850s to the 1950s. The social theory developed consequently from Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution...
that was first introduced into psychiatry by Bénédict Augustin Morel
Bénédict Morel
Bénédict Augustin Morel , was a French physician born in Vienna, Austria. He was an influential figure in the field of psychiatry during the mid-19th century....
(1809-1873). Magnan's theory of degeneration was a form of "evolutionary biology" that was based on an hereditary precept. He used terms such as bouffée délirante (transitory delusional psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
) and délire chronique évolution systématique (chronic systemized delusional disorder) as descriptive categories of mental illness. In 1892 with psychiatrist Paul Sérieux
Paul Sérieux
Paul Sérieux was a French psychiatrist who was a native of Paris. He practiced medicine in several French hospitals and asylums during his career, including the Asylum of Ville-Evrard and the hospital of Sainte-Anne...
(1864-1947), he published a monograph on the latter mental state titled Le délire chronique a évolution systématique.
Magnan believed that the prodiguous use of alcohol, particularly absinthe, was a major factor in what he perceived was a decline of French culture. In his investigations of absinthe he tried to establish a particular "absinthe effect" that wasn't present in other forms of alcohol, and suggested that the delirium of absinthe was different from delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
experienced in alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. In his research with laboratory animals, Magnan used essence of absinthe (wormwood), rather than the beverage itself, which contains only a small percentage of wormwood. From his experiments he observed that animals experienced epileptiform convulsions when exposed to concentrated levels of wormwood.
Associated eponym
- Magnan's signMagnan's signMagnan's sign is a clinical sign in which people with cocaine addiction experience paraesthesia which feels like a constantly moving foreign body, such as fine sand or powder, under the skin.The sign is named after Valentin Magnan....
: An illusory sensation of a crawling foreign body being beneath the skin; a paresthesiaParesthesiaParesthesia , spelled "paraesthesia" in British English, is a sensation of tingling, burning, pricking, or numbness of a person's skin with no apparent long-term physical effect. It is more generally known as the feeling of "pins and needles" or of a limb "falling asleep"...
in the psychosis of cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addicts.
Selected written works
- Étude expérimentale et clinique sur l’alcoolisme, alcool et absinthe; épilepsie absinthique, 1871
- De l’hémi-anesthésie, de la sensibilité générale et des sens dans l’alcoolisme chronique
- Gazette hebdomadaire de médecine et de chirurgie, 1873.
- De l’alcoolisme, des diverses formes de délire alcoolique at de leur traitement, 1874.
- Recherches sur les centres nerveux. Pathologie et physiologie pathologique, 1876
- Des anomalies, des aberrations et des perversions sexuelles, 1885