Traité de la médecine légale des aliénés

Paris: Victor Masson and Son, 1866. FIRST EDITION. Original wrappers bound in morocco-backed boards. Some very light dampstaining and foxing. First edition of the first history of medical jurisprudence of insanity. The author begins his study with the ancient Romans and biblical figures, asserting that they often conflated mental illness with supernaturalism and divine power and thus, the mentally ill were not often prosecuted. He goes on to describe the medieval and early modern era, when mentally ill people were accused of witchcraft and sorcery and frequently tortured and executed. The medico-legal state at the time of his writing, Morel claims, is sympathetic with the advancement of psychiatry and medical understanding of mental illness, with particular attention paid to cases in the United States. Finally, he lays out his recommendations for establishing innocence and culpability of those legally considered insane.

This volume is stated as the first fascicle of a 6-part forthcoming series, with instructions to subscribe for the next part. However, no further volumes were ever published.

OCLC locates 4 copies in the U.S. (Penn, UCLA, Harvard, NLM).

Semelaigne, Les Pionniers de la psychiatrie française I : 351 ; Wharton, Mental Unsoundness 469.