345:
197:
33:
165:. Her attacks worsened, with Wittman losing consciousness and urinating on herself. However, they were usually at night, so she kept them hidden. When she was 13, the furrier would kiss her whenever they were alone, and attempted to rape her. Her attacks became more frequent, and she began to have tremors, later saying that "Everything I held in my hands escaped me". The furrier assumed that her clumsiness was intentional; she ran away after he attempted to beat her.
275:), and other performers wishing to see the wide range of emotions that Wittman displayed during her attacks. Though popular, they were criticized for their circus-like showmanship and sexual innuendo; under hypnosis, Wittman was made to act out theatrics with comedic effect. Charcot was also plagued with reports that some patients feigned symptoms for attention and fame. These claims were made in 1890 by intern
907:
241:, downward deviation of the eyes, and foaming at the mouth during the epileptoid stage. This was followed by vertical and rhythmic movement of the head that would strike the pillow for a few seconds in the clonic period. She would mumble in a state of delirium, frequently uttering "Blanche" (the name of one of her sisters); this resulted in "Blanche" becoming her nickname.
365:, where she is used in a demonstration during one of Charcot's weekly lectures. This depiction made her "a model of hysteria at that time". The painting is usually interpreted as showing Wittman undergoing a hysteric fit while under hypnosis. However, a 2020 paper argues that the apparatus visible next to Charcot is a
305:, where an alternate personality emerged under hypnosis. Ellenberger claims that Janet kept Wittman in this "Blanche II" state for several months, and that "Blanche II" was conscious even while "Blanche I" was unconscious during Charcot's demonstrations. However, this claim was not discussed in the 1906 interview.
168:
Wittman stayed with her mother and worked in a laundry from age 14 to 15; during that time she had "relations" with a jeweler named Louis. Her mother died when
Wittman was 15; she returned to work for the furrier. The two regularly had sex; after eight months she fled to a friend of her mother. Eight
169:
days later she entered a hospital as a duty maid, where she began a relationship with a young man named
Alphonse. He would compress her right ovarian region when she had attacks. After a few months, they spent a week in the countryside; upon her return to Paris, she sought asylum in a convent on the
157:
in 1877. Wittman's father was a Swiss carpenter; prone to anger, he went insane and was placed in an institution. Her mother was a linen maid. Five of
Wittman's eight siblings died of epilepsy and seizures. At 22 months old, she became deaf and mute after suffering seizures, but she regained her
283:
rejected
Charcot's neurological explanation of hysteria. Wittman reportedly never had any attacks after Charcot's death. However, she claimed in a 1906 interview that her symptoms were real, and that it was not possible to fool Charcot with such acting.
204:
Upon admission, Wittman was found to have partial numbness on her right side and loss of sensitivity in her left arm, as well as ovarian sensitivity before 'attacks'. She collected objects including artificial roses and religious items, and wore a
158:
speech and hearing around age seven. She scarcely attended school because of difficulty learning and could barely read and write. She was prone to fits of anger, to which her mother responded by throwing water on her.
183:
Though her attacks happened largely at night, Wittman was dismissed from the convent after tearing a garment during a daytime attack. She would often see Louis during her attacks. She found work as a servant at
221:. Her attacks began seven days after admission and would last for up to several hours, during which she would make rapid motions, become rigid, and act out sexual scenes. They followed three stages –
396:'s assistant and confidante. The novel was well received; its use of Curie's investigations of radiation as a metaphor for human experience was praised. However, a 2007 letter published in
392:) takes the form of purported lost journals by Wittman. The novel takes considerable historical liberties: Wittman is portrayed in a sexual relationship with Charcot, and later becomes
377:
402:
criticized the novel for the "slandering of an unfortunate patient and two icons of science", including the invention of the relationship between
Charcot and Wittman.
115:
in 1877, and was treated by
Charcot until his death in 1893. She later became a radiology assistant at the hospital, which resulted in amputations of her arms due to
675:
Brigo, Francesco; Balasse, Albert; Nardone, Raffaele; Walusinski, Olivier (June 18, 2020). "Jean-Martin
Charcot's medical instruments: Electrotherapeutic devices in
369:
induction device, and that the painting thus depicts
Wittman in hypnotic lethargy, with Charcot having electrically induced the "ecstatic" expression on her face.
170:
271:
Charcot gave weekly lectures and demonstrations with patients, including
Wittman. They were frequently attended by dancers, actresses (including
209:. She was of average intelligence; her memory was good, though she believed it had declined over the previous year due to her frequent use of
941:
328:, who had previously photographed Wittman and the other patients. Londe was appointed head of the radiology department the next year.
188:, intending to be admitted into the hospital. Wittman was admitted as a patient in an epilepsy ward on May 6, 1877, at the age of 18.
361:
128:
122:
Charcot's techniques were controversial; commentators have disagreed as to whether
Wittman suffered from a physical condition like
430:
Some sources list her death as being of a hemorrhage in August 1909 "at the age of 56" (inconsistent with her 1859 birth) or 1912.
126:, suffered from mass hysteria resulting from conditions at La Salpêtrière, or was merely feigning symptoms. She is depicted in
644:
455:
586:
936:
185:
112:
774:
602:
309:
505:
289:
154:
911:
382:
149:
Wittman was born in Paris on April 15, 1859. Her early life is known only from information she provided to
344:
501:
150:
878:
411:
333:
196:
548:"Clinical history of Blanche Wittman and current knowledge of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures"
261:
547:
175:
264:
was used in 1879 to restore feeling to the right side of her body. She was also a subject for
268:
experiments where electricity was used to induce muscular movements, often for photography.
931:
926:
366:
238:
514:. Vol. 3. Aux Bureaux du Progres Medical. pp. 4–39 – via Internet Archive.
302:
8:
234:
214:
116:
108:
88:
324:
Wittman returned to La Salpêtrière on October 11, 1889, as an assistant to photographer
859:
824:
704:
312:, though some elements like reported ovarian hypersensitivity may have been related to
855:
811:
794:
356:
816:
770:
762:
744:
708:
696:
650:
640:
598:
294:
863:
828:
265:
851:
806:
736:
688:
632:
372:
133:
692:
767:
The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry
456:"Nineteenth-century hysteria and hypnosis: A historical note on Blanche Wittmann"
332:
were not yet understood; both of Wittman's arms were eventually amputated due to
280:
272:
233:– that Charcot identified. She would experience generalized stiffness with limb
257:
210:
103:; April 15, 1859 – 1913) was a French woman known as one of the
740:
509:
920:
313:
222:
595:
How the Brain Lost its Mind: Sex, Hysteria, and the Riddle of Mental Illness
32:
820:
748:
700:
654:
329:
325:
308:
A 2017 study of Wittman's symptoms concluded that she likely suffered from
276:
253:
38:
842:
Eagleton, Terry (December 23, 2006). "A tale of radium, love, and death".
511:
Iconographie photographique de la Salpêtrière : service de M. Charcot
393:
298:
623:
Walusinski, Olivier (October 26, 2014). "The Girls of La Salpêtrière".
398:
249:
636:
727:
Harris, James C. (May 2005). "A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière".
587:"In Search of Hysteria: The Man Who Thought He Could Define Madness"
245:
230:
218:
206:
104:
84:
162:
123:
316:
resulting from conditions at La Salpêtrière were also possible.
244:
In 1878, Charcot began treating patients including Wittman with
906:
226:
674:
765:(1970). "Chapter Two: The Emergence of Dynamic Psychiatry".
463:
Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
585:
Ropper, Allan H.; Burrell, Brian (September 20, 2019).
200:
Wittman photographed in a cataleptic pose around 1880
500:
918:
545:
592:
584:
795:"In defence of Charcot, Curie, and Wittmann"
279:; after Charcot's 1893 death, his assistant
761:
681:Journal of the History of the Neurosciences
788:
786:
622:
256:with some success, though she soon showed
31:
810:
618:
616:
614:
593:Ropper, Allan H.; Burrell, Brian (2020).
541:
336:. Wittman died in 1913 at the age of 54.
841:
792:
755:
722:
720:
718:
580:
578:
576:
574:
572:
570:
568:
539:
537:
535:
533:
531:
529:
527:
525:
523:
521:
453:
343:
297:claims that Wittman was also treated by
195:
783:
670:
668:
666:
664:
625:Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience
496:
449:
447:
191:
919:
726:
611:
494:
492:
490:
488:
486:
484:
482:
480:
478:
476:
260:with ether. Static electricity from a
715:
565:
518:
132:(1887) and was the subject of a 2004
876:
661:
444:
362:A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière
350:A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière
161:At age 12, she was apprenticed to a
129:A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière
793:van Gijn, Jan (February 10, 2007).
473:
248:. She was also treated with ether,
13:
942:Deaths by acute radiation syndrome
677:La Leçon Clinique à la Salpêtrière
310:psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
16:French hysteria patient, 1859–1913
14:
953:
900:
905:
769:. Basic Books. pp. 21, 22.
390:The book about Blanche and Marie
290:The Discovery of the Unconscious
879:"Radium and the nature of love"
870:
835:
629:Hysteria: The Rise of an Enigma
348:Wittman (in white) depicted in
330:The health effects of radiation
111:. She was institutionalized in
729:Archives of General Psychiatry
424:
1:
856:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69877-2
812:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60228-1
693:10.1080/0964704X.2020.1775391
437:
339:
319:
144:
506:Bourneville, Désiré-Magloire
454:Alvarado, Carlos S. (2009).
139:
7:
546:Giménez-Roldán, S. (2016).
405:
155:Désiré-Magloire Bourneville
10:
958:
378:Boken om Blanche och Marie
213:. She was soon treated by
937:19th-century French women
741:10.1001/archpsyc.62.5.470
555:Neurosciences and History
80:
72:
64:
45:
30:
23:
502:Regnard, Paul-Marie-Léon
417:
412:Louise Augustine Gleizes
334:radiation-induced cancer
37:Wittman around 1880, by
355:Wittman is depicted in
217:, who believed she had
151:Paul-Marie-Léon Regnard
97:Marie "Blanche" Wittman
352:
201:
914:at Wikimedia Commons
347:
237:, finger flexion and
199:
239:tetanic contractions
192:Treatment by Charcot
215:Jean-Martin Charcot
171:Rue du Cherche-Midi
117:radiation poisoning
109:Jean-Martin Charcot
89:Jean-Martin Charcot
763:Ellenberger, Henri
597:. Atlantic Books.
353:
202:
124:epileptic seizures
910:Media related to
850:(9554): 2201–02.
646:978-3-318-02646-7
637:10.1159/000359993
359:'s 1887 painting
295:Henri Ellenberger
94:
93:
949:
909:
894:
893:
891:
889:
877:De-Falbe, John.
874:
868:
867:
839:
833:
832:
814:
790:
781:
780:
759:
753:
752:
724:
713:
712:
672:
659:
658:
620:
609:
608:
590:
582:
563:
562:
552:
543:
516:
515:
498:
471:
470:
460:
451:
431:
428:
386:
373:Per Olov Enquist
179:
134:Per Olov Enquist
55:
53:
35:
21:
20:
957:
956:
952:
951:
950:
948:
947:
946:
917:
916:
903:
898:
897:
887:
885:
875:
871:
840:
836:
791:
784:
777:
760:
756:
725:
716:
673:
662:
647:
621:
612:
605:
583:
566:
550:
544:
519:
499:
474:
458:
452:
445:
440:
435:
434:
429:
425:
420:
408:
380:
367:du Bois-Reymond
357:André Brouillet
342:
322:
281:Joseph Babinski
273:Sarah Bernhardt
262:Ramsden machine
194:
173:
147:
142:
99:(often spelled
60:
57:
51:
49:
41:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
955:
945:
944:
939:
934:
929:
902:
901:External links
899:
896:
895:
869:
834:
782:
775:
754:
714:
660:
645:
610:
603:
591:Excerpt from:
564:
517:
472:
442:
441:
439:
436:
433:
432:
422:
421:
419:
416:
415:
414:
407:
404:
375:'s 2004 novel
341:
338:
321:
318:
225:, generalized
193:
190:
186:La Salpêtrière
146:
143:
141:
138:
113:La Salpêtrière
92:
91:
82:
81:Known for
78:
77:
74:
70:
69:
68:1913 (aged 54)
66:
62:
61:
58:
56:April 15, 1859
47:
43:
42:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
954:
943:
940:
938:
935:
933:
930:
928:
925:
924:
922:
915:
913:
912:Marie Wittman
908:
884:
883:The Spectator
880:
873:
865:
861:
857:
853:
849:
845:
838:
830:
826:
822:
818:
813:
808:
805:(9560): 462.
804:
800:
796:
789:
787:
778:
776:9780465016730
772:
768:
764:
758:
750:
746:
742:
738:
735:(5): 470–72.
734:
730:
723:
721:
719:
710:
706:
702:
698:
694:
690:
687:(1): 94–101.
686:
682:
678:
671:
669:
667:
665:
656:
652:
648:
642:
638:
634:
630:
626:
619:
617:
615:
606:
604:9781786491824
600:
596:
588:
581:
579:
577:
575:
573:
571:
569:
561:(4): 122–129.
560:
556:
549:
542:
540:
538:
536:
534:
532:
530:
528:
526:
524:
522:
513:
512:
507:
503:
497:
495:
493:
491:
489:
487:
485:
483:
481:
479:
477:
468:
464:
457:
450:
448:
443:
427:
423:
413:
410:
409:
403:
401:
400:
395:
391:
387:
384:
379:
374:
370:
368:
364:
363:
358:
351:
346:
337:
335:
331:
327:
317:
315:
314:mass hysteria
311:
306:
304:
300:
296:
292:
291:
285:
282:
278:
274:
269:
267:
263:
259:
255:
251:
247:
242:
240:
236:
232:
228:
227:clonic period
224:
220:
216:
212:
208:
198:
189:
187:
181:
177:
172:
166:
164:
159:
156:
152:
137:
135:
131:
130:
125:
120:
118:
114:
110:
106:
102:
98:
90:
86:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
63:
59:Paris, France
48:
44:
40:
34:
29:
25:Marie Wittman
22:
19:
904:
888:September 5,
886:. Retrieved
882:
872:
847:
843:
837:
802:
798:
766:
757:
732:
728:
684:
680:
676:
628:
624:
594:
558:
554:
510:
466:
462:
426:
397:
389:
376:
371:
360:
354:
349:
326:Albert Londe
323:
307:
288:
286:
277:Alfred Binet
270:
266:faradisation
254:amyl nitrite
243:
203:
182:
167:
160:
148:
127:
121:
107:patients of
100:
96:
95:
39:Albert Londe
18:
932:1913 deaths
927:1859 births
469:(1): 21–36.
394:Marie Curie
381: [
299:Jules Janet
174: [
87:patient of
73:Nationality
921:Categories
844:The Lancet
799:The Lancet
438:References
399:The Lancet
340:Depictions
320:Later life
303:Hôtel-Dieu
250:chloroform
223:epileptoid
145:Early life
52:1859-04-15
709:219926175
631:: 65–77.
589:. Lithub.
258:tolerance
235:extension
140:Biography
864:54387185
829:54282800
821:17292761
749:15867099
701:32552293
655:25273490
508:(1880).
406:See also
293:(1970),
246:hypnosis
231:delirium
219:hysteria
207:scapular
105:hysteria
101:Wittmann
85:Hysteria
301:at the
163:furrier
136:novel.
862:
827:
819:
773:
747:
707:
699:
653:
643:
627:. 35,
601:
252:, and
229:, and
76:French
860:S2CID
825:S2CID
705:S2CID
551:(PDF)
459:(PDF)
418:Notes
385:]
211:ether
178:]
890:2020
817:PMID
771:ISBN
745:PMID
697:PMID
651:PMID
641:ISBN
599:ISBN
153:and
65:Died
46:Born
852:doi
848:368
807:doi
803:369
737:doi
689:doi
679:".
633:doi
287:In
923::
881:.
858:.
846:.
823:.
815:.
801:.
797:.
785:^
743:.
733:62
731:.
717:^
703:.
695:.
685:30
683:.
663:^
649:.
639:.
613:^
567:^
557:.
553:.
520:^
504:;
475:^
467:37
465:.
461:.
446:^
383:sv
180:.
176:fr
119:.
892:.
866:.
854::
831:.
809::
779:.
751:.
739::
711:.
691::
657:.
635::
607:.
559:4
388:(
54:)
50:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
,_circa_1880.jpg)