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 Bicêtre ...
, a commune in the southern suburbs of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It lies 4.5 km (2.8 miles) from the center of Paris. The Bicêtre Hospital was originally planned as a
military hospital
A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...
, with construction begun in 1634. With the help of
Vincent de Paul, 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 by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
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, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
, a
lunatic asylum
The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...
, and a hospital. Its most notorious guest was the
Marquis de Sade. 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 Civilisation'' titled "The Birth of the Asylum." In it, Pinel's methods are classified as more devious than humane.
See also
*
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
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