Esprit Sylvestre Blanche (15 May 1796,

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

– 8 November 1852,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a French

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

Biography

His father, Antoine Louis Blanche (1753-1816), was a chief surgeon of the military hospitals of

. After finishing a doctorate of medical studies in 1819 at the Paris School of Medicine, he devoted his life to the study of

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

. He founded a nursing home on the heights of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

, where he took up again principles of a treatment developed by

Philippe Pinel Philippe Pinel (; 20 April 1745 – 25 October 1826) was a French physician, precursor of psychiatry and incidentally a zoologist. He was instrumental in the development of a more humane psychological approach to the custody and care of ps ...

, but had his patients keep in touch with a new family instead of isolating them from others. Doctor Blanche counted Nerval and

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

among his many patients. In 1826, he moved his Montmartre institution to the Hotel of Lamballe (''l’Hôtel de Lamballe'') in

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

; the building and its grounds belonged to the Princess of Lamballe. After his death, his son Antoine Émile Blanche, the father of painter

Jacques-Émile Blanche Jacques-Émile Blanche (; 1 January 1861 – 30 September 1942) was a French artist, largely self-taught, who became a successful portrait painter, working in London and Paris. Early life Blanche, an only child, was born in Paris in the 16em ...

, took over the management of his nursing home, which he kept until 1872.

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...

, the French writer, stayed there during the last months of his life (1892-1893), at the clinic of Doctor Blanche. A member of The Medical Board of Association of Dramatic Artists, he was awarded the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(''la Légion d’honneur'') in 1834. He married Marie Madeleine Sophie Bertrand (1800-1876). His daughter, Claire Lydie Blanche, born in 1829 became the wife of architect Léon Ohnet (1813-1874) and the mother of writer

Georges Ohnet Georges Ohnet (3 April 1848, in Paris – 5 May 1918) was a French novelist. Life and career Ohnet was educated at the Collège Sainte-Barbe and the Lycée Henri-IV, Lycée Napoléon. After the Franco-Prussian War he became editor of the magazi ...

. He was also the father of Louis Alfred Blanche, born in 1823, an architect in Paris and Antoine Émile Blanche, born in 1820, a psychiatrist. He was buried in the 2nd section of

Passy Cemetery Passy Cemetery () is a small cemetery in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The current cemetery replaced the old cemetery (''l'ancien cimetière communal de Passy'', located on Rue Lekain), which was closed in 1802. ...

Posterity

A street in Paris (''la rue du Docteur Blanche'') was named after him. Another street with the same name, in Rouen, owes its name to his brother, doctor Antoine Emmanuel Pascal Blanche (1785-1849).

Books

* ''Du danger des rigueurs corporelles dans le traitement de la folie'' (On the danger of physical rigors when treating insanity), Paris, Gardembas, 1839 * ''De l’état actuel de traitement de la folie en France'' (On the current treatment of insanity in France), Paris, Gardembas, 1840

References

# Georges-Paul Collet, ''Jacques-Émile Blanche. Le peintre écrivain'', Éditions Bartillat, Paris, 2006, p. 16-17 # Cf note 1. # �
La maison du docteur Blanche. Histoire d’un asile et de ses pensionnaires de Nerval à Maupassant
» ''www.ammppu.org'' # �
La maison du docteur Blanche : histoire d'un asile et de ses pensionnaires, de Nerval à Maupassant
» www.franceculture.fr. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche, Esprit Sylvestre 1796 births 1852 deaths French psychiatrists

Biography

Posterity

Books

See also

Bibliography

Film

References