Jules Baillarger
Encyclopedia
Jules Baillarger, full name Jules Gabriel François Baillarger (March 25, 1809 – December 31, 1890) was a French neurologist
and psychiatrist
who was born in Montbazon
.
He studied medicine at the University of Paris
under Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol
(1772–1840), and while a student worked as an intern at the Charenton
mental institution. In 1840 he accepted a position at the Salpêtrière, and soon after became director of a mental asylum in Ivry
. With Jacques-Joseph Moreau
(1804–1884) and others, he founded the influential Annales médico-psychologiques (Medical-Psychological Annals).
In 1840 Baillarger was the first physician to discover that the cerebral cortex
was divided into six layers of alternate white and grey laminae. His name is associated with the inner and outer bands of Baillarger, which are two layers of white fibers of the cerebral cortex
. The outer band of Baillarger is sometimes referred to as the band of Gennari.
In the field of psychiatry, Baillarger did research on the involuntary nature of hallucinations and the dynamics of the hypnagogic state (the intermediary stage between sleep and wakefulness). In 1854 he provided a description of a bipolar disorder
that he referred to as folie à double forme (dual-form insanity). Unbeknownst to him at the time, another French psychiatrist, Jean-Pierre Falret
had described the same condition in an article prior to Baillarger's findings. Falret referred to the disorder as folie circulaire (circular madness).
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
and psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who was born in Montbazon
Montbazon
Montbazon is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.Montbazon is located on the river Indre between the towns Veigné, Monts and Sorigny...
.
He studied medicine at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
under Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol
Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol
Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol was a French psychiatrist.Born and raised in Toulouse, Esquirol completed his education at Montpellier...
(1772–1840), and while a student worked as an intern at the 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....
mental institution. In 1840 he accepted a position at the Salpêtrière, and soon after became director of a mental asylum in Ivry
Ivry
Ivry is part of the name of multiple communes in France:* Ivry-la-Bataille, in the Eure département* Ivry-sur-Seine, in the Val-de-Marne départementIvry is also part of the name of a city in the province of Quebec:...
. With Jacques-Joseph Moreau
Jacques-Joseph Moreau
Dr. Jacques-Joseph Moreau 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 system, and to catalogue, analyze, and record his observations. His 1845 book, Hashish and Mental Alienation,...
(1804–1884) and others, he founded the influential Annales médico-psychologiques (Medical-Psychological Annals).
In 1840 Baillarger was the first physician to discover that the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
was divided into six layers of alternate white and grey laminae. His name is associated with the inner and outer bands of Baillarger, which are two layers of white fibers of the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
. The outer band of Baillarger is sometimes referred to as the band of Gennari.
In the field of psychiatry, Baillarger did research on the involuntary nature of hallucinations and the dynamics of the hypnagogic state (the intermediary stage between sleep and wakefulness). In 1854 he provided a description of a bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
that he referred to as folie à double forme (dual-form insanity). Unbeknownst to him at the time, another French psychiatrist, Jean-Pierre Falret
Jean-Pierre Falret
Jean-Pierre Falret was a French psychiatrist born in Marseille.In 1811 he began his medical studies in Paris, where he was inspired by the work of Philippe Pinel and Jean Étienne Dominique Esquirol...
had described the same condition in an article prior to Baillarger's findings. Falret referred to the disorder as folie circulaire (circular madness).
Selected publications
- Recherches sur la structure de la couche corticale des circonvolutions du cerveau, (1840)
- Des hallucinations, des causes qui les produisent et des maladies caractérisent, Mémoires de l’Académie de médecine (1842)
- Hallucinations, Annales médico-psychologiques du système nerveux, (1844)
- Folie à double forme, Annales médico-psychologiques du système nerveux, (1854)
- Recherches sur les maladies mentales, 2 volumes; (1890)