Paul Charles Dubois

Paul Charles Dubois ( born November 28, 1848 in La Chaux -de-Fonds, † November 4, 1918 in Bern ) was a Swiss doctor and neuropathologist. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of psychotherapy.

Life

Paul Charles Dubois was born the son of a watchmaker Ulysse - Charles Dubois and Marie -Luise, born Geiser. Even his grandfather was a watchmaker. As a six- year-old Dubois lost his father, he was henceforth brought up by two aunts. Dubois went to school in Geneva and studied medicine at the University of Bern. In Bern, he settled down first as a general practitioner. From 1876 he was at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern in the area of ​​physical diagnosis and therapy ( electrotherapy ) operates. After his habilitation he waited in vain for a professorship. He developed an interest in psychiatry and had influence from the writings of Johann Christian August Hein Roth ( 1773-1843 ). He also became politically active by actively promoted the neutrality of Switzerland during the First World War. The " rational wake therapy " ( Psychagogik ) and the proclamation of a persuasive and moralizing treatment, which later culminated with Paul Dubois and the writings of Ottomar Rosenbach ( 1851-1907 ) can be seen as a response to the hypnotic and suggestive methods of psychotherapy. Joseph Jules Dejerine (1849-1917) joined him in his therapeutic concepts as the Paris chief of the leading psychiatric hospital at Salpêtrière friendly. He also published the preface to the publication of the " psychoneuroses " 1904. Even Freud followed him in this respect, purely and simply, even if he personally Dubois proved to be superior inaccessible.

Services

Paul Dubois habilitated in 1876 at the Medical Faculty in Bern « Physical Diagnostics " for where he gave lectures on electrodiagnosis and electrotherapy, later on psychotherapy. He was ad " neuropathology " appointed in a personal capacity in 1902 as Associate Professor of Bern. From 1 to 6 September 1902, the Second International Congress on Medical electrical Logie and Radiology was held in Bern under the chairmanship of Paul Dubois. In psychiatric terms Dubois developed about the same time as Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and Pierre Janet (1859-1947) his actual theory about the psycho genius of many psychological disorders and recognized the importance of biography. Initially, he worked with suggestive methods that he had taken over from Hippolyte Bernheim (1840-1919), especially with the electrifying. The latter method was, inter alia, been practiced by George Miller Beard. Dubois ' theories were aimed, in contrast to Freud rather psychosomatic facts. Dubois led his treatments with a bed rest, preferably in a comfortable hospital. This rather kurmässige treatment style that also included dietary restrictions, also reminiscent of the methods of treatment in neurasthenia. This style may have contributed to the fact that there were many prominent artists and politicians among his patients. Even the psycho therapied of Freud wolf man, Sergei Pankejeff, Freud later instructed Ruth Brunswick, originally intended to be treated in Dubois. Dubois has helped his patients demonstrably much, but found no direct successor. Thus, no tradition was born. His psychotherapy was temporarily taken up by general practitioners, thus had to meet a few requirements except the common sense that. Around 1910, Dubois was still next to Freud, the most searched psychotherapist in Europe.

The rational- emotive therapy by Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck Cognitive therapy of depression according to correspond in many parts of the rational therapy after Paul Charles Dubois. Elements of the approach of Dubois are also found in the directive psychotherapy ( behavior therapy) and the paradoxical intervention.

The main works are: " De l' influence de l' esprit sur ​​le corps ", 1901 Here, the author supports his views about what he called " rational psychotherapy " (in reality rational psychotherapy). . She has become known under the name Persuasionstherapie. Also in "Les psychonévroses et leur traitement moral ", Paris 1904, Dubois describes this method. The psychoneuroses are due to lack of value judgments which, by design, both are also developmental. It is herein also called the label change hysteria described (1904, p.11). This includes the fact is understood that historically contingent bursts of the disease have been accepted. Freud and Janet were of the opinion that the hysteria decreased more and more.

Appreciation

Dubois is one of the authors who turned in their publications as first the psychogenic disorders according to the respective time flow. These include Sydenham, Cheyne, Pomme, Trotter, Whytt, Brachet, Louyer - Villermay and the Beard already mentioned. The favored by Dubois moralizing treatment presents in its time a flow of Repsychiatrisierung against the common prior to 1850 wave of moralisiernden treatment by the psychics dar. Sigmund Freud ( 1856-1939 ) and Pierre Janet ( 1859-1947 ) can be viewed as a contemporary antipodes of Dubois be. As already mentioned, Freud held back against Dubois very while Dubois made ​​no secret of his admiration for Freud, even if it is followed his theories only partially. Janet, however, has " rightly something mischievous " noted by Erwin H. plowman that the psychagogische basic principle of therapy of Dubois is suspicious of Christian Science more. This basic principle, it submits to convince the patient that his illness does not exist.

Legacy

Although Paul Dubois now psychotherapy is considered the " forgotten pioneer", find essential aspects of his theories nowadays application in the context of psychoeducation as well as in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy after Ellis. His Persuasionstherapie ( " rational therapy" ) itself has already been received critical during their time of origin of the then applicable psychoanalysts and today is hardly in use. Therapists who are after her work is a rarity.

Works (selection)

• Over the pressure in the bladder. Hirschfeld, Leipzig 1876 ( Dissertation, University of Bern, 1874).
• De l' influence de l' esprit sur ​​le corps: Conférence faite à la salle du Grand Conseil de Berne le 28 février 1901 Masson, Paris 1901 ( Schmid & Francke, Bern 1901). . German translation: On the Influence of the mind on the body. Francke, Bern 1905.
• Les psychonévroses et leur traitement moral: Leçons faites à l' université de Berne. Masson, Paris, 1904, with a preface by Jules -Joseph Dégerine. Re: L' Harmattan, Paris 2007, ISBN 978-2-296-04122-6. German translation: The psychoneuroses and their psychological treatment: lectures held at the University Bern.Francke, Bern 1905.
• The imagination as a cause of disease. JF Bergmann, Wiesbaden 1907 ( Frontier Questions of nervous and mental life. H. 48).
• L' éducation de soi - même. . Masson, Paris 1908 German translation: self-education. Francke, Bern 1909.
• Raison et sentiment: Conférence faite à l' auditorium de l' Université de Berne le 3 mars 1910 Francke, Bern 1910 German translation:. . Sense and Sensibility: Academic lecture held in the auditorium of the University of Bern, March 3, 1910 Francke. Bern 1910.