Joseph Grasset (18 March 1849 – 7 July 1918), was a French

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

and

parapsychological Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

investigator, born in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

.Biography of Joseph Grassett
("Who named it?"). He received his medical degree (1873) in Montpellier, where in 1881 he became a professor of

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

. In 1886, he attained the chair of

clinical medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

, and in 1909 was appointed chair of general

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

. Grasset was involved in every aspect of internal medicine, but his primary interest concerned diseases of the

nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The nervous system detects environmental changes th ...

. His name is associated with the "Grasset law", 'a condition where a patient with

hemiparesis Hemiparesis, or unilateral paresis, is weakness of one entire side of the body (''wikt:hemi-#Prefix, hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia is, in its most severe form, complete paralysis of half of the body. Hemiparesis and hemiplegia can be caused ...

lying on his back can raise either leg separately, but is unable to raise both legs together.'^:649 This phenomenon is explained in his 1899 treatise, ''Diagnostic des maladies de la moëlle''. He conducted studies in the field of

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

, publishing the book ''Demi-fous et Demi-responsables'' (Semi-Insane and the Semi-Responsible) in 1907, and also researched the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

, publishing works with titles such as ''Le spiritisme devant la science'' (1904) and ''L’occultisme hier et aujourd'hui'' (1907). His book ''L’occultisme hier et aujourd'hui'' was translated into English as ''The Marvels Beyond Science'' in 1910. Grasset took a psychological approach to psychical research and attributed mediumship to deliberate trickery or unconscious suggestion.

Selected publications

''The Diagnosis of Diseases of the Cord''
(1901) *
The Semi-Insane and the Semi-Responsible
' (1907)
''The Marvels Beyond Science''
(1910)

References

1849 births 1918 deaths French neurologists French writers on paranormal topics French parapsychologists Physicians from Montpellier Academic staff of the University of Montpellier {{France-med-bio-stub