The vast historiography of the French
Salpêtrière neurological school of
Paris includes complete biographical works of
its main principal representatives. Missing,
however, has been substantial work on Georges
Gilles de la Tourette (1857&endash;1904), who
has received some attention principally due to
his eponymous syndrome. The interest of
neurologists in his life and work faded after
Grégory Duncan published a thesis devoted
to him in 1955. Olivier Walusinski, one of the
best specialists in the history of French
neurology, collaborated with Duncan in 2010 on
Gilles de la Tourette, and this collaboration,
along with help from Jean-Philippe Neau, led him
to the discovery of new personal archival
material in Loudun, the city of origin of Gilles
de la Tourette's family. Relying on these
documents, Walusinki has written an extensive,
original, and well-informed biography on the
life and the works of Gilles de la Tourette.
In his preface, Christopher Goetz, a
world-famous specialist on Jean-Martin Charcot
(1825&endash;1893), considers Gilles de La
Tourette a rather obscure neurological figure
brought to light thanks to Charcot's special
deference for his beloved and loyal pupil. One
may then ask what good would be a 500-page book
on the subject? Beyond the erudition and the
recounting of stories found in archival material
at risk of disappearing, there is a great
historiographical interest in studying minor
figures of Charcot's inner circle, especially
those who were close to the master, who lived
with him at home or accompanied him to the
Folies Bergères. There is, indeed, much
to learn and unravel in the relations between
Gilles de la Tourette, Charcot and his family,
and other students.
One question is why Charcot supported Gilles
de La Tourette, before the completion of his
doctoral thesis, when Charcot used his student's
name for the eponymous syndrome. Walusinski
rightly stresses that this is a matter of
understanding the fiction of the social
construct of eponymous syndromes, which has
fascinated neurologists and historians of
science. What is at stake is the strategy
Charcot built to strengthen his school and shore
up his authority, not only by promoting himself
directly but also by reassuring posterity
through the support of his closest students.
This biography of Gilles de la Tourette deals
with a social historiography of French neurology
that may appear a bit anecdotal at first glance
but that raises epistemological and social
issues. Walusinski's book is divided into four
main independent parts. The first is devoted to
the origins of the family; to Gilles de la
Tourette's education, personality, and career in
broad terms; to his assassination attempt, his
disease, and his death. This is a descriptive
and informative section, contributing many new
biographical elements, painting a background
scene to the work as well as providing a wealth
of details for further interpretations.
The second part, and the most important, is
an analysis of Gilles de la Tourette's medical
writings, in the broad context of
nineteenth-century neurology both in France and
worldwide. The written papers of Gilles de La
Tourette do not seem sufficiently numerous or
remarkable enough to justify a complete analysis
centered only on their constitution and scope,
but once placed in a proper context, it becomes
evident how the internes of Charcot could
compete for positions and competitive
examinations and choosing subjects according to
publication strategies.
Along all these dimensions, Walusinki tells
the stories of French neurology with vivid and
relevant details. The various chapters of this
section of the book give a wider perspective of
the medical issues presented, illuminating
Gilles de La Tourette's work and emphasizing the
social factors at stake. This section also
includes discussions of the eponymous syndrome,
vibration therapies, suspension therapies,
hypnotism, and hysteria. One understands more
clearly how Gilles de la Tourette represents a
worthy representative of the school of Charcot,
having served Charcot as his personal secretary
for one year, and having proved himself to be a
meticulous student, transcribing lectures and
explaining words that Charcot himself left
unexplained.
In that respect, Walusinki demonstrates that
Gilles de la Tourette was a central and integral
element of the school of
Salpêtrière, and it is important
not to ignore his work on the grounds that it
does not share the autonomy, the depth, or the
scope of the work of other more famous of his
fellows.
The third part of the book, less essential at
first sight, deals with Gilles de la Tourette's
literary work and further demonstrates his
personality and political commitments. This is
an occasion to place the history of French
neurology in a global human science perspective,
building on relationships between neurology,
literature, arts, and politics.
The book ends with a fourth part listing all
the works of Gilles de la Tourette. This section
brings an impressive mass of valuable
information that will not be easily surpassed
and offers a social analysis of the history of
French neurology as seen from an interne's
perspective. This social vision requires further
analyses, but Walusinki shows how Gilles de la
Tourette's complete biography is particularly
favorable to present a vivid testimony of
important facets of Charcot's school, deserving
great attention and honor.
