Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette (; 30 October 1857 – 22 May 1904) was a French neurologist and the namesake of

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...

, a

neurodevelopmental disorder Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of mental conditions negatively affecting the development of the nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. According to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manu ...

characterized by

tic A tic is a sudden and repetitive motor movement or vocalization that is not rhythmic and involves discrete muscle groups. Tics are typically brief and may resemble a normal behavioral characteristic or gesture. Tics can be invisible to the obs ...

s. His main contributions in medicine were in the fields of hypnotism and

hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

Early life

Gilles de la Tourette was born the oldest of four children on 30 October 1857 in the small town of Saint-Gervais-les-Trois-Clochers in the district of Châtellerault, near the city of Loudun.Walusinski (2019), pp. 3–4. During 1873, Gilles de la Tourette began medical studies at

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

at the age of sixteen. In 1881, he relocated to Paris, where he continued his studies at the Laennec Hospital.

Career

Gilles de la Tourette began his internship in 1884, working "at a superhuman pace, publishing, teaching and practicing clinical medicine". He became a student,

amanuensis An amanuensis ( ) ( ) or scribe is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. It may also be a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In some aca ...

, and house physician of his mentor, influential contemporary neurologist

Jean-Martin Charcot Jean-Martin Charcot (; 29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French neurology, neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He worked on groundbreaking work about hypnosis and hysteria, in particular with his hysteria patient Louise A ...

, director of the Salpêtrière Hospital. Charcot also helped him to advance in his academic career. Gilles de la Tourette studied and lectured in

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

, and medical and legal ramifications of

mesmerism Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, is a theory invented by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. It posits the existence of an invisible natural force (''Lebensmagnetismus'') possessed by all living things, including humans ...

(modern-day

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

). Colleagues and historians have described him as a "highly intelligent, if irascible, character". In 1884, Charcot asked Gilles de la Tourette to work on

motor disorder Motor disorders are disorders of the nervous system that cause abnormal and involuntary movements. They can result from damage to the motor system. Motor disorders are defined in the fifth edition of the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Men ...

s; latah, myriachit, and the Jumping Frenchmen of Maine had recently been described, and Gilles de la Tourette believed the conditions were related and separate from

chorea Chorea, or (rarely) choreia, () is an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, characterized by quick movements of the hands or feet. It is one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias. The term ''chorea'' is derived , as the move ...

. He described the symptoms of Tourette syndrome in one patient and collected previous observations of similar cases, and in 1885, he published a further nine cases using the name ''maladie des tics'' for the disorder. Charcot renamed the syndrome "Gilles de la Tourette's illness" in his honor, although the work was not well received at Salpêtrière. Gilles de la Tourette published an article on hysteria in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

, which angered Bismarck, and a further article about unhygienic conditions in the floating hospitals on the river

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. With Gabriel Legué, he analyzed 17th-century abbess

Jeanne des Anges Jeanne des Anges, also known as Jeanne de Belcier (2 February 1602 – 29 January 1665), was a French Ursuline nun in Loudun, France. She became mother superior of the convent at a young age, but is chiefly remembered as a central figure in the ...

' account of her hysteria that was allegedly based on her unrequited love for a priest

Urbain Grandier Urbain Grandier (1590 – 18 August 1634) was a French Catholic priest who was execution by burning, burned at the stake after being convicted of witchcraft, following the events of the so-called "Loudun possessions". Most modern commentators ha ...

, who was later burned for witchcraft.

Personal life and decline

Gilles de la Tourette married his cousin Marie Detrois (1867–1922) on 2 August 1887 in Loudon. Paul Brouardel and Charcot were witnesses. They had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood.Walusinski (2019), pp. 13–16. In 1893, a former female patient, who was later revealed to have psychosis, shot Gilles de la Tourette in the neck,Walusinski (2019), p. 72. claiming one of his colleagues had hypnotized her against her will. His mentor, Charcot, had died recently, and his young son had also died recently. Although he recovered from the shooting and continued to work and organize lectures, after these events, Gilles de la Tourette began to display symptoms of severe depression. After 1893, his mental health noticeably declined. In 1901, Charcot's son, Jean-Baptiste, convinced Gilles de la Tourette to travel to Switzerland on a ruse, and had him committed to a psychiatric hospital, where Gilles de la Tourette was diagnosed with tertiary syphilis. His condition worsened and he was forced to resign. His wife and colleagues were not forthcoming about the causes of his internment. He died on 22 May 1904 with advanced dementia at the Lausanne Psychiatric Hospital in Cery from what was labeled a status seizure, and that his wife described as

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

.Walusinski (2019)
pp. 113–120.
/ref> Lees (2019) states that "Gilles de la Tourette died of general paralysis of the insane (

neurosyphilis Neurosyphilis is the infection of the central nervous system by '' Treponema pallidum'', the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted infection syphilis. In the era of modern antibiotics, the majority of neurosyphilis cases have been report ...

)".

Writings

Gilles de la Tourette published sixteen papers on hysteria, including: * ''Les actualités médicales, les états neurasthéniques'' (Paris 1898) * ''Leçons de clinique thérapeutique sur les maladies du système nerveux'' (Paris 1898) * ''L'hypnotisme et les états analogues au point de vue médico-légal'' (Paris, 1887; 2nd. edition Paris 1889) * ''Les actualités médicales. Formes cliniques et traitement des myélites syphilitiques' convulsifs'' (''La semaine médicale'' 1899) * ''Traité clinique et thérapeutique de l'hystérie d'après l'enseignement de la Salpêtrière'' (Paris 1891)

Notes

References

Books

* Walusinski O (2019). ''Georges Gilles de la Tourette: Beyond the Eponym, a Biography''. Oxford University Press.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilles de la Tourette, Georges 1857 births 1904 deaths People from Vienne (department) People with mood disorders People with traumatic brain injuries French neurologists Tourette syndrome French shooting survivors French medical writers Amanuenses 19th-century French physicians Knights of the Legion of Honour