Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital |
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| Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris | |
The Mazarin entrance to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
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| Geography | |
| Location | 47–83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public, Charitable |
| Hospital type | Teaching |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
The Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital is a very important hospital in Paris, France. It's located in the 13th area of the city. This hospital is part of a big group of public hospitals in Paris. It also works as a teaching hospital for Sorbonne University, which means it helps train new doctors.
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Hospital History and Purpose
The Salpêtrière building was first a factory that made gunpowder. This was in the 1600s. In 1656, King Louis XIV decided to change it. He wanted it to be a hospice, a place for poor women in Paris to live.
This hospice was for women who were struggling or had mental health challenges. It also helped poor people. In 1657, it joined with another hospice called the Pitié. This one was for children who were beggars or orphans.
Children at the hospice helped make clothes for the hospital and the army. Between 1663 and 1673, many women from the hospice went to America. They helped build new settlements in New France. These women were known as the "King's Daughters".
The Salpêtrière was admired for its design by Libéral Bruant. The building was finished in 1669. Later, a women's prison was added to the site. Conditions there were very difficult for the people held inside.
Before the French Revolution, the Pitié-Salpêtrière was the biggest hospice in the world. It could hold 10,000 people. It also had over 300 prisoners. At that time, it didn't treat sick people. They were sent to another hospital called the Hôtel-Dieu.
During a time of big changes in France in 1792, a crowd entered the Salpêtrière. They released many of the female prisoners.
Helping People with Mental Health
Near the end of the 1700s, important changes began at the hospital. A doctor named Philippe Pinel (1745–1826) started treating people with mental health issues more kindly. He is famous for removing chains from patients.
A statue of Pinel stands outside the hospital today. Pinel became the main doctor at the Salpêtrière in 1794. He was in charge of a large area for sick people. He also started a clinic for vaccinations in 1799. The first vaccination in Paris happened there in 1800.
After Pinel, his assistant Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol (1772–1840) took over. He gave the first regular lessons on psychiatry in France. He also helped create laws about mental health care.
Another important doctor was Jean-Pierre Falret (1794–1870). He helped us understand conditions like bipolar disorder.
Studying the Brain and Nerves
From 1842, Guillaume-Benjamin Duchenne de Boulogne (1806–1875) visited the Salpêtrière often. He was a great medical scientist. He studied patients with nerve problems very carefully.
Duchenne used new ways to diagnose illnesses. He used electricity and photography in his studies. He described many muscle diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His work helped other famous scientists like Charles Darwin.
Later, Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893) led the department. The Salpêtrière became famous for studying the brain and nerves. Students came from all over the world to learn from Charcot.
Charcot helped map out how to examine the nervous system. He also studied conditions like epilepsy and stroke. He suggested renaming a disease to Parkinson's disease after the doctor who first described it.
In 1882, a photography department was created at the hospital. It helped record patient conditions.
One of Charcot's students was Sigmund Freud (1856–1939). Freud later became known as the founder of psychoanalysis. He translated Charcot's lectures into German.
The Hôpital de la Pitié moved next to the Salpêtrière in 1911. In 1964, they joined together. Today, the Pitié-Salpêtrière is a large teaching hospital. It has departments for most major medical areas.
Famous Patients
Many well-known people have been treated at the Salpêtrière. These include famous athletes like Michael Schumacher and Ronaldo. Royalty like Prince Rainier of Monaco also received care there.
Actors Alain Delon and Gérard Depardieu were also patients. Former French president Jacques Chirac had a pacemaker fitted at the hospital.
Some famous people have also passed away at the Pitié-Salpêtrière. These include singer Josephine Baker in 1975. Philosopher Michel Foucault died there in 1984. Diana, Princess of Wales died there in 1997 after a car crash. French cyclist Laurent Fignon passed away in 2010.
Since 2010, the Brain and Spine Institute (now called Paris Brain Institute) has been located at the hospital.
Hospital Buildings
Hospital Chapel
The Chapelle de la Salpêtrière is a beautiful building at the hospital. It was designed by Libéral Bruant around 1675. He also designed Les Invalides. The chapel is shaped like a Greek cross. It has four chapels inside, each big enough for about 1,000 people. The main dome in the center lets in light through round windows.
Philippe Pinel Monument
In front of the hospital's main entrance, there is a large bronze statue. It honors Philippe Pinel. He was the chief doctor at the hospice from 1795 until his death in 1826. At that time, the Salpêtrière was like a huge village. It had thousands of elderly women, a busy market, and many infirmaries.
Notable Doctors Who Worked Here
Over its long history, many important doctors have worked at the Pitié-Salpêtrière. Here are some of them:
- Philippe Pinel (1745–1826)
- Jean-Étienne Esquirol (1772–1840)
- Duchenne de Boulogne (1806–1875), who taught Charcot
- Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), known as the founder of modern neurology
- Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), a student of Charcot and the father of psychoanalysis
- Joseph Babinski (1857–1932), another student of Charcot
- Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904), a neurologist
- Maria Montessori (1870–1952), a pioneer in education
- Christian Cabrol (1925–2017), a heart surgeon who performed Europe's first heart transplantation in 1968
- Iradj Gandjbakhch (b. 1941), a heart surgeon who also performed Europe's first heart transplantation with Dr. Cabrol
See also
In Spanish: Hospital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière para niños
- Bicêtre Hospital
- A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière
- General Hospital of Paris
