The Sainte-Anne hospital in Paris: a key institution in the development of clinical neuroscience

J. J. Zarranz
Neurosciences and History 2023;11(4):158-175

Type of article: ORIGINAL

AUTHOR

J. J. Zarranz
Emeritus Chair of the Department of Neurosciences. Universidad del País Vasco-EHU, Leioa, Spain.
Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences. Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.

ABSTRACT

Today’s Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris was born when the old hospital of the same name was merged with the neighbouring Hôpital Henri-Rousselle in 1941, and since 2019 has been part of a large university hospital complex specialising in psychiatry and neuroscience (Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire Paris psychiatrie & neurosciences). The current name honours a longstanding tradition, as Sainte-Anne was the home of France’s first university chair in psychiatry, and can be considered the birthplace of modern neuropsychology, through the work of Lhermitte, Ajuriaguerra, and Hécaen. It was also at Sainte-Anne that the antipsychotic effect of chlorpromazine was first observed by Delay and Deniker, marking the beginning of psychopharmacology and the consequent revolution in psychiatric care. The centre housed one of the city’s first neurosurgery services (Puech, David), and it was there that Talairach pioneered the development of stereotactic procedures, particularly stereo-electroencephalography and epilepsy surgery (in collaboration with Bancaud). Furthermore, in the 1930s and 1940s, there was close collaboration at the centre between psychoanalysis and art, particularly surrealism, which gave rise to a rich cultural atmosphere.

KEYWORDS

Sainte-Anne, Henri-Rousselle, André-Thomas, Lhermitte, Ajuriaguerra, Delay, Talairach, Bancaud, Laborit, chlorpromazine

Neurosciences and History 2023;11(4):158-175