Jean Marie Joseph Capgras (23 August 1873 – 27 January 1950) 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 ...

who is best known for the

Capgras delusion Capgras delusion or Capgras syndrome is a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member, or pet has been replaced by an identical impostor. It is named after Joseph Capgras (1873 ...

, a disorder he discovered. He received his medical degree in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, later working in several mental institutions in France, although these duties were interrupted by the Great War. In 1929-1936, he was associated with Hôpital Sainte-Anne where he remained until his retierment. With his mentor,

Paul Sérieux Paul Sérieux (; 1864–1947) was a French psychiatrist. Paul Sérieux was born in Le Havre on 4 July 1864. His family relocated to Paris when he was a child and he studied medicine in Paris, defending his thesis in 1888. He practiced medicin ...

(1864–1947), he contributed on psychiatric publications such as ''Les Folies raisonnantes'' (1909) ("The Reasoning of Follies)") and ''Les Psychoses à base d'interprétations délirantes (1902) (“Psychoses Based on Delusional Interpretations”)''. With Sérieux, he described a type of non-schizophrenic, paranoid

psychosis In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or inco ...

referred to as '' Delerium of Interpretation with Serieux and Capgras''.

was described in 1923 in a study published by Capgras and his intern Jean Reboul-Lachaux, titled ''L'illusion des "sosies" (the illusion of doubles') dans un délire systématisé chronique''. This disorder is defined as a delusion that a close relative or friend has been replaced by an impostor. In 1931 Capgras was appointed the president of the Société Médico-Psychologique (The Medical-Psychological Society) for his case studies and journal articles. While in this role, he was able to reunite two branches that had separated 25 years earlier.Capgras' delusion
at

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

Notes

References

* Postel J, Allen DF. Joseph Capgras (1873-1950). ''

Psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of mental illness. It includes the signs and symptoms of all mental disorders. The field includes Abnormal psychology, abnormal cognition, maladaptive behavior, and experiences which differ according to social norms ...

'' 1994;27:121–122, . * Sérieux P, Capgras J
''Les Folies rasonnantes''
J.-F. Alcan, 1909. French psychiatrists 1873 births 1950 deaths People from Tarn-et-Garonne {{France-scientist-stub