Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Chemistry, Gas Chemistry, Light, Meteorology, Astronomy, Discovery, Instruments | Mental Illness, Psychology, Psychiatry | Chemistry, Discovery | Archaeology

People mentioned:

André Laugier

Institutions mentioned:

Académie des Sciences, Paris

    Reports that the Archives des Decouvertes et des Inventions for 1816, 'contains accounts of the discoveries of M. Gay-Lussac on the combinations of azote and oxygen, and on prussic acid: of those of M. Poisson on the theory of the tides; and of M. Biot on light. M. Biot it appears is making rapid advancement in the career of the illustrious Malus; and his invention of the fine instrument to which he has given the name of colorigrade, proves how eagerly he seeks to turn the results of his discoveries to purposes of use'. Later reports that Joseph E D Esquirol has given the name hallucination to a kind of mental derangement which denotes 'a species of insanity, in which the patient receives, through one or more senses, those impressions which sight alone otherwise conveys'. Later relates the 'case of a person almost the only sign of whose derangement consisted in his hearing secret voices, which incessantly reproached him with something he had done'. (305)