Louis-Victor Marcé (3 June 1828,

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 ...

– August 1864) was a French

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

. He initially studied medicine in

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, afterwards continuing his studies in

, where in 1852 he gained his internship. In 1856 he obtained his doctorate with a dissertation on

spermatic The spermatic plexus (or testicular plexus) is derived from the renal plexus, receiving branches from the aortic plexus. It accompanies the internal spermatic artery to the testis A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bil ...

cysts titled "''Des kystes spermatiques ou de l'hydrocèle enkystée spermatique''". Shortly afterwards, he served as médecin-adjoint to

Jules Baillarger Jules Baillarger, full name Jules Gabriel François Baillarger (25 March 1809 – 31 December 1890), was a French neurologist and psychiatrist. Biography Baillarger was born in Montbazon, France. He studied medicine at the University of Paris u ...

(1809-1890) and

Jacques-Joseph Moreau Jacques-Joseph Moreau (3 June 1804 – 26 June 1884), nicknamed "Moreau de Tours", was a French psychiatrist and member of the Club des Hashischins. Moreau was the first physician to do systematic work on drugs' effects on the central nervous ...

(1804-1884) at a ''maison de santé'' in

Ivry-sur-Seine Ivry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Paris's main Asian district, the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th arrondissement, borders the ...

. In 1860 he received his

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

to the medical faculty in Paris, and during the same year, worked as chief medical officer at "Ferme Sainte-Anne". Soon afterwards he was assigned as a physician to the

Bicêtre Hospital The Bicêtre Hospital is located in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It lies 4.5 km (2.8 miles) from the center of Paris. The Bicêtre Hospital was originally planned as a military hospital, with constru ...

. In 1858 he published an important, comprehensive monograph dealing with prepartum and postpartum psychiatric disorders titled "''Traité de la folie des femmes enceintes, des nouvelles accouchées et des nourrices, et considérations médico-légales qui se rattachent à ce sujet''" (Treatise on the madness of pregnant women, etc.). The "Société Marcé Francophone", a French association for the study of

perinatal Prenatal development () involves the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal deve ...

and puerperal psychiatry, is named in his honour. In 1860, he issued an early work on

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

titled "''Note sur une forme de délire hypocondriaque consécutive aux dyspepsies et caractérisée principalement par le refus d'aliments''" (On a form of

hypochondria Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. Hypochondria is an old concept whose meaning has repeatedly changed over its lifespan. It has been claimed that th ...

cal delirium occurring consecutive to

dyspepsia Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier ...

and characterized by refusal of food). Here he provided the first psychological accounts of individuals with anorexia nervosa in regards to obstinate behavioral characteristics. Neurologist Albert Pitres (1848-1928) credited Marcé for providing the first description for

agraphia Agraphia is an acquired neurological disorder causing a loss in the ability to communicate through writing, either due to some form of motor dysfunction or an inability to spell. The loss of writing ability may present with other language or neuro ...

, based on a paper issued by Marcé in 1860.Eprints.bbk
Lorch, M. and Barrière, I. (2003) The history of written language disorders: reexamining Pitres' case (1884) of pure agraphia . Brain and Language 85 (2) 271-279

References

Psychiatrie Histoire
(biography of Louis-Victor Marcé) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marce, Louis-Victor 1864 deaths 1828 births French psychiatrists Scientists from Paris

See also

References