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Benjamin Ball (20 April 1833
– 23 February 1893
[psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their ...]
. He was the first "Chair of Mental and Brain Diseases" at the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
.
Early life
He was born at
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, to an English father, William Ball, and a Swizz mother, Julie Autran (1807–1852). He was naturalised as French in 1849 and spent the whole of his professional life in Paris.
Medical career
He studied medicine under
Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Tours and
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot (; 29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He worked on hypnosis and hysteria, in particular with his hysteria patient Louise Augustine Gleizes. Charcot is known a ...
and was an assistant of
Charles Lasègue
Ernest-Charles Lasègue (5 September 1816–20 March 1883) was a French physician that released over one hundred scientific papers. He became recognized in the mid-19th century from his work in the fields of psychiatry and neurology. He publi ...
at the
Salpêtrière Hospital. During his ''
internat'' he was
Laureate
In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Prize, and for former music direct ...
of the
Academy of Medicine Academy of Medicine or Academy of Surgery may refer to:
Asia
Israel
*Jerusalem Academy of Medicine
Malaysia
*Academy of Medicine of Malaysia
Singapore
*Academy of Medicine, Singapore
Europe Austria
* Josephinian Military Academy of Surgery
* ...
(''Prix
Portal'', in collaboration with
Charcot). He became
doctor of medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degre ...
in 1862.
With the support of
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot (; 29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He worked on hypnosis and hysteria, in particular with his hysteria patient Louise Augustine Gleizes. Charcot is known a ...
, Ball became to first ''Chair of Mental and Brain Diseases'' (''Clinique des Maladies Mentales et de l’Encéphale'') in the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
in 18 April 1877, to the detriment of his rival
Valentin Magnan
Valentin Magnan (16 March 1835 – 27 September 1916) was a French psychiatrist active in the 19th-century.
Biography
Valentin Magnan was a native of Perpignan. He studied medicine in Lyon and Paris, where he was a student of Jules Bailla ...
.
In 1881, in collaboration with
Jules Bernard Luys, Ball founded the journal ''L'Encéphale'', which the pair directed until 1889.
Alienist work
Ball advocated against psychic disorders being separated from the rest of medicine, stating that "the work of the mind coincides with phenomena of a purely physical".
Written works
Ball is the author of numerous works relating to
mental diseases
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
. In 1885, he published a trail-blazing treatrise entitled ''La morphinomanie'', in which he evidenced the toxic effects of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
which were not absolutely acknowledged at the time.
2nd edition: Paris 1893
, -
, ''Du délire des persécutions, ou Maladie de
Lasègue''
, ''On persecution deliria''
, Paris 1890
, -
, ''Leçons sur les maladies mentales''
, ''Lessons on Mental Illnesses''
, 1st ediiton: Paris 1880; 2nd edition: Paris 1890
Awards
By decree on 14 July 1880 (declaration: 29 January 1881) Ball was awarded a
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
in
France's Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
.
Personal life
On 2 August 1871, Ball married Suzanne Carrier de Belleuse (1847–1928). They had six children, including Albert Ball (1875–1937).
Death
Ball suffered from ill health for 12 months that prevented him from working as a physician.
In his obituary, he was described as having died of "severe mental strain" due to his illness.
[Montmartre Cemetery
The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...]
. In 1898, Albert Ball was admitted to boarding school after the death of his father.