L'enfance aliénée sous l'œil du Docteur Bourneville
The exhibition reflects on the thirty years (1879-1909) during which Dr. Bourneville attempted to provide appropriate care for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, who until then had been left to languish as “idiots” or “retarded”. In three different institutions (Bicêtre Asylum, Fondation Vallée, Institut médico-pédagogique de Vitry-sur-Seine), the young patients are stimulated and encouraged to learn everyday gestures, take courses, and sometimes even receive professional training.
The doctor used photography to document his medical observations and the major changes made to asylums. These sometimes moving, sometimes shocking images for our contemporary sensibilities, help us understand the ambitions and shortcomings of the treatment of insane children.
The exhibition focuses on Bourneville's career as a renowned alienist and politician. We then discover the carefully thought-out layout of the educational and care facilities that Bourneville shaped. The various components of medical-pedagogical treatment are described: discovery of the senses, education in cleanliness, educational games, gymnastics, schools, workshops... Finally, the transmission of the treatment to other doctors and its communication to the general public are discussed. At the end of the tour, visitors are invited to take part in a special stroll that explores the complex role of medical photography in these experiments.
Museum of the History of Medecine
Located in the premises of the former Faculty of Medicine of Paris, the Museum of the History of Medicine presents some of the oldest collections in Europe. They were assembled by Dean Lafaye in the 18th century, and then completed by an important collection of items covering the different branches of the art of surgery until the end of the 19th century. The Museum of the History of Medicine has found its place among the many museums in Paris and is also internationally renowned.