Bicêtre Hospital
The
Bicêtre Hospital, located in
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, which is a commune in the southern suburbs of
Paris,
France. It is located 4.5 km. (2.8 miles) from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. The
Bicêtre Hospital was originally planned as a military
hospital, with construction begun in
1634. With the help of
Vincent de Paul, it was finally opened as an
orphanage in
1642. It was incorporated into the
Hôpital Général in
1656. In
1823, it was called the
Hospice de la Vieillesse Hommes. In
1885, it was renamed the
Hospice de Bicêtre. In its history it has been used successively and simultaneously as an orphanage, a
prison, a lunatic asylum (see
Psychiatric hospital) and a hospital. Its most notorious guest was
Marquis de Sade [
1] [
2]
The
Bicêtre is most famous as the
Asylum de Bicêtre where Superintendent
Philippe Pinel is credited as being the first to introduce humane methods into the treatment of the mentally ill, in
1793.
*
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
