Father of psychiatric nursing

Philippe pinel theory
Philippe pinel pronunciation
Philippe pinel psychology definition

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Philippe Pinel and the foundations of modern psychiatric nosology

Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) played a major role in the foundation of modern psychiatric nosology. Much of his contribution, historically contextualized within the enlightenment generally and post-Revolutionary France more specifically, can be summarized through five themes in his background, education and writings. First, he applied an inductive, enlightenment-informed natural science approach to classification adapted from the biological sciences, which he had studied, and applied this to large samples of mentally ill individuals in Parisian asylums, frequently referring to 'varieties' and 'species' of insanity. Second, Pinel's classificatory approach rejected metaphysical and highly speculative etiologic theories in favor of a Baconian inductive approach utilizing observational data. Third, Pinel advocated repeated assessments of patients over time, feasible given long in-patient stays. Fourth, trained in philosophy, Pinel relied on philosophically informed models of the mind and of insanity. Fifth, Pinel exten

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Philippe Pinel's "Memoir on Madness" of December 11, 1794: a fundamental text of modern psychiatry

Philippe Pinel's "Memoir on Madness" can now be precisely dated. It was read to the Society for Natural History in Paris on Dec. 11, 1794, soon after the fall of the Jacobin dictatorship. It is thus a political document, an appeal to the Revolutionary government to build asylums where the mentally ill could be decently treated. It is translated here for the first time. Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) served as "physician of the infirmaries" at Bicêtre, the public hospice for men near Paris, from 1793 to 1795. In the "Memoir on Madness" he explains his "psychologic treatment," the principles of the humane method that made him the founder of psychiatry in France. Pinel states that mental illness is often curable. To arrive at a diagnosis, the physician must carefully observe a patient's behavior, interview him, listen carefully, and take notes. He must understand the natural history of the disease and the precipitating event and write an accurate case history. Diagnosis a

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Phillipe Pinel

(Images courtesy of the National Library of Medicine)

Phillipe Pinel was a French physician who was active in the late eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century. He is best known for his work in unchaining the patients at the Bicêtre Hospital (the male insane asylum in Paris) and later at its female counterpart, the Salpêtrière Hospital (image above on the right). He did this after becoming director in 1794.

Dr. Pinel moved from the practices of bleeding, purging, blistering, and confinement with chains, to ones that were more open—such as those involving friendly contact with the patient and purposeful activities. Chains and shackles were replaced with straight-jackets as required.

This “moral treatment,” as it came to be called, would serve to end treatments that tried to cure demonic possession and start psychological approaches to care. He started keeping a history of each patient’s care and worked to improve the quality of workers at each institution.

Dr. Pinel also had a connection to “Victor t