Demonic possession and the historical construction of melancholy and hysteria

Les démoniaques dans l'art: Charcot and the "hysterical saints"

Professor Jean-Martin Charcot was the founder of clinical neurology and one of the prominent researchers in the field of hysteria in the 19^th century. His book Les démoniaques dans l'art is a representation of hysterical symptoms in religion and religious art. This paper aims to discuss Charcot's descriptions of hysteria in religion and his "hysterical saints".

Professional dynamics of the forensic evaluation of mental states in eighteenth-century Denmark-Norway

This study examines criminal cases related to blasphemy under the absolute monarchy of Denmark-Norway, and presents the evaluation of mental states within a forensic context between 1713 and 1733. First, the article explains how the legal framework and normative guidelines for pastoral care envisaged the interplay between judges, priests and doctors in evaluating mental states. Then, an examination of selected cases is provided, showing the dynamics and the role assignment in the evaluation of mental states in practice. Covering a period characterized by a gradual differentiation of theology, law and medicine, this case study enhances understanding of what preceded the development of psychiatry as a medical speciality during the nineteenth century.