Antoine-Athanase Royer-Collard (7 February 1768 – 27 November 1825) was a French physician and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

. He was a younger brother to

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Pierre-Paul Royer-Collard Pierre Paul Royer-Collard (21 June 1763 – 2 September 1845) was a French statesman and philosopher, leader of the Doctrinaires group during the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830). Biography Early life He was born at Sompuis, near Vitry-le-Fran� ...

(1763–1845). Royer-Collard was born in

Sompuis Sompuis () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Marne department The following is a list of the 613 communes in the French department of Marne. The communes cooperate in the following interc ...

. He studied medicine in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and in 1802 received his doctorate with a dissertation on

amenorrhea Amenorrhea is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. Physiological states of amenorrhoea are seen, most commonly, during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding). Outside the reproductive years, there is absence of menses ...

("''Essai sur l'aménorrhée, ou suppression du flux menstruel''").Antoine-Athanase Royer-Collard
Histoire de la psychiatrie en France In 1806, he was named chief physician at the Charenton mental asylum, and in 1816 became a professor of

forensic medicine Forensic medicine is a broad term used to describe a group of medical specialties which deal with the examination and diagnosis of individuals who have been injured by or who have died because of external or unnatural causes such as poisoning, assa ...

at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. In 1819, he was appointed to the first chair of ''médecine mentale''. Among his better known students were Antoine Laurent Bayle and Louis-Florentin Calmeil. In 1803, he founded the periodical "''Bibliothèque médicale''". In 1820, he was elected a member of the

Académie de médecine An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

. After his death at Paris in 1825, his position at the Charenton was filled by Jean-Etienne-Dominique Esquirol. One of his famous patients at the Charenton was

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusatio ...

(1740–1814), better known as Marquis de Sade, who spent the last eleven years of his life incarcerated at the asylum. Royer-Collard protested against de Sade's imprisonment at the Charenton, believing him to be sane, and asked that he be placed in a conventional prison.

Fictional portrayals

A heavily fictionalized version of Royer-Collard serves as the main antagonist of the play '' Quills'' by

Doug Wright Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''. Early years Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...

. He is portrayed as the cruel administrator of Charenton Asylum and jailer of the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

, who tortures de Sade as punishment for smuggling his writing out of the hospital and causing disruption among the other patients. In the 2000 film adaptation of the play, Royer-Collard is portrayed by

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royer-Collard, Antoine-Athanase 1768 births 1825 deaths French psychiatrists 19th-century French physicians 18th-century French physicians Academic staff of the University of Paris People from Marne (department)