The Bicêtre Hospital is located in
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is most famous as the location of the Bicêtr ...
, a commune in the southern suburbs of
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. Si ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It lies 4.5 km (2.8 miles) from the center of Paris. The Bicêtre Hospital was originally planned as a
military hospital, with construction begun in 1634. With the help of
Vincent de Paul
Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...
, it was finally opened as an
orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...
in 1642. It was incorporated into the ''
Hôpital Général de Paris'' in 1656. In 1823, it was called the ''Hospice de la Vieillesse Hommes''. In 1885, it was renamed the ''Hospice de Bicêtre''.
History
In its history it has been used successively and simultaneously as an orphanage, a
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
, a
lunatic asylum
The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatr ...
, and a hospital. Its most notorious guest was 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 accusati ...
. In 1781 the prison was referred to as “much more terrible than the
Bastille”.
The ''Bicêtre'' is most famous as the ''Asylum de Bicêtre'' where Superintendent
Philippe Pinel is credited as being the first to introduce humane methods into the treatment of the mentally ill, in 1793.
The ''Bicêtre'' is referenced in the last chapter of
Foucault's ''Madness and Civilization'' titled "The Birth of the Asylum." In it, Pinel's methods are classified as more devious than humane.
See also
*
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital (french: Hôpital universitaire la Pitié-Salpêtrière, ) is a teaching hospital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. Part of the and a teaching hospital of Sorbonne University.
History
The Salpêtri� ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bicetre Hospital
1642 establishments in France
Buildings and structures completed in 1642
Hospital buildings completed in the 17th century
Hospitals in Val-de-Marne
Hospitals established in the 17th century
Former psychiatric hospitals