Achille-Louis Foville
Encyclopedia
Achille-Louis Foville was a French
neurologist
and psychiatrist
. He produced the first description of the terminal stria
.
Foville was born in Pontoise
, France
and received his medical doctorate
in 1824, after studying medicine under Léon Louis Rostan and Jean Étienne Dominique Esquirol at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
. His medical thesis argued mental illness may be curable, discussing some treatments of the day and their apparent effectiveness. The next year, he was made the medical superintendent of the Saint-Yon asylum in Rouen
. During his time there he published several papers on disorders of the nervous system which were well received. His son Achille-Louis-François Foville was born in 1831. He remained at the asylum until 1833, when ill health forced his resignation.
Foville spent time travelling abroad, to Africa
and America
. He returned to France, settling in Paris
. After the death of his former teacher Esquirol in 1840, Foville was made a professor
at Charenton
. Until the appointment Thomas Hodgkin
had been attempting to open a facility for the treatment of mental illnesses to compete with the York Retreat. With Foville's appointment to Charenton, Fhe was no longer willing to relocate to England, and Hodgekins dropped the project, feeling no other doctors were suitable to run the facility. In 1844 he published Traité complet de l'anatomie, de la physiologie et de la pathologie du système nerveux cérébro-spinal on the anatomy of the nervous system
of the spinal cord
, regarded as one of the best works on the subject prior to the invention of the microscope
. The French Revolution of 1848
cost him his job at Charenton, and Foville took up private practice in Paris. He practised medicine in Paris, treating mental disorders, until 1868, when he retired. He moved to Toulouse
after his retirement, where he died in 1878.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
neurologist
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. He produced the first description of the terminal stria
Terminal stria
The stria terminalis is a structure in the brain consisting of a band of fibers running along the lateral margin of the ventricular surface of the thalamus...
.
Foville was born in Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and received his medical doctorate
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1824, after studying medicine under Léon Louis Rostan and Jean Étienne Dominique Esquirol at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital is a teaching hospital located in Paris, France. Part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, it is one of Europe's largest hospitals...
. His medical thesis argued mental illness may be curable, discussing some treatments of the day and their apparent effectiveness. The next year, he was made the medical superintendent of the Saint-Yon asylum in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. During his time there he published several papers on disorders of the nervous system which were well received. His son Achille-Louis-François Foville was born in 1831. He remained at the asylum until 1833, when ill health forced his resignation.
Foville spent time travelling abroad, to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. He returned to France, settling in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After the death of his former teacher Esquirol in 1840, Foville was made a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Charenton
Charenton (asylum)
Charenton was a lunatic asylum, founded in 1645 by the Frères de la Charité in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, now Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France....
. Until the appointment Thomas Hodgkin
Thomas Hodgkin
Thomas Hodgkin was a British physician, considered one of the most prominent pathologists of his time and a pioneer in preventive medicine. He is now best known for the first account of Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphoma and blood disease, in 1832...
had been attempting to open a facility for the treatment of mental illnesses to compete with the York Retreat. With Foville's appointment to Charenton, Fhe was no longer willing to relocate to England, and Hodgekins dropped the project, feeling no other doctors were suitable to run the facility. In 1844 he published Traité complet de l'anatomie, de la physiologie et de la pathologie du système nerveux cérébro-spinal on the anatomy of the nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
of the spinal cord
Spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
, regarded as one of the best works on the subject prior to the invention of the microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
. The French Revolution of 1848
French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
cost him his job at Charenton, and Foville took up private practice in Paris. He practised medicine in Paris, treating mental disorders, until 1868, when he retired. He moved to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
after his retirement, where he died in 1878.