Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1667

JACQUES JOSEPH MOREAU (1804-1884) Du hachisch et de l'aliénation mentale. Librairie de Fortin, Masson et Cie 1845 viii, 431 pp. 20.7 cm.

Moreau, a student and disciple of Esquirol (see No. 1268), initially studied medicine at Tours but came to Paris where he completed his degree in 1830. He was among that early group of psychiatrists who made an effort to view abnormal behavior patterns or mental symptoms as signs of disturbance of the total personality. Moreau believed that dreams could provide a valuable insight into the understanding of abnormal mental functions and, in the present work, came very close to describing the concept of the unconscious. He emphasized that introspection was the key to understanding another personality and that it was important to have experienced a sensation before it could be completely understood. In the present work, on hashish and mental illness, Moreau used himself as an experimental subject so that he could experience the psychotic states he discusses.

See Related Record(s): 1268