literature - neurology
literatura - neurologia
The links between neurology and the nineteenth century novel have long been a source
of scholarly interest but connections with detective fiction have only recently begun
to be explored[1],[2],[3]. Forensic medicine and neurology both emerged as distinct specialties in the middle
of the nineteenth century and some of the early neurologists like Brouardel in Paris
and Ferrier in England held joint appointments between the two disciplines[3],[4]. Many authors of crime novels such as Edgar Allan Poe (detective Auguste Dupin),
Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot), Raymond Chandler (Philip Marlowe), Dashiell Hammett
(Sam Spade), Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Georges Simenon (Jules Maigret),
are popular reading material for numerous neurologists and some even turned their
hand to writing detective fiction.[3] The Maigret detective novels were a phenomenal commercial success, but like Sherlock
Holmes for Doyle, the fictional creation became a millstone round Simenon’s neck as
he strived for serious literary acclaim[5],[6],[7],[8],[9].
GEORGES SIMENON
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (1903-1989) was born in Liège, Belgium ([Figure 1]) and, while still young, moved to Paris, France[5],[6],[7],[8],[9].
Figure 1 Georges J. C. Simenon (1903-1989).(Extracted from Google Images: www.goodreads.com,
February, 13th, 2016).
Simenon’s work can be divided into the ‘romans durs’ novels, in which he explores
the daily drama of the lives of ordinary people, and his crime novels featuring his
famous creation, Inspector Jules Maigret of the French Judicial Police[5],[6],[7],[8],[9]. Inspector Maigret, the central character in 75 of Simenon’s 400 novels and 28 of
his short stories, gained a level of international acclaim comparable to that achieved
by Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, although his star has faded somewhat in recent
years. Simenon’s ability to write gripping crime novels and psychological dramas may
have stemmed from his family background and his early work as a crime reporter on
the Gazette de Liège, in Belgium. He died at the age of 86 in Lausanne, Switzerland[5],[6],[7],[8],[9].
INSPECTOR MAIGRET
Commissioner, or Inspector, Jules A. F. Maigret ([Figure 2]) of the French Police, had a distinctive method for solving crimes that differed
considerably from the more scientific method of deductive reasoning backwards from
the crime that characterized Sherlock Holmes’ modus operandi. Maigret’s was far more
intuitive and his success depended on a deep understanding of human behaviour (“a
dive into the human soul”)[5],[6],[7],[8]. His approach owed more to psychology, whereas Holmes embraced pathology and modern
scientific advances such as fingerprinting. Maigret first soaks up the atmosphere
of the
Figure 2 Inspector Jules Maigret statue (by Pieter d`Hont, in Delfzjl, The Netherlands).(Extracted
from Google images: en.wikipedia.org, February, 13th, 2016).
crime scene and analyses, in exhaustive detail, the psychological profiles of the
main suspects[5],[6],[7],[8]. Maigret is depicted in the novels as a corpulent, sedentary, slothful and bad tempered
man of few words, famous for his love of food and drink. He is portrayed on screen
with his trademark hat, an overcoat with a velvet collar, sucking on his pipe[5],[6],[7],[8]. In the book Memoirs of Maigret, the reader learns that the famous inspector studied medicine as a young man, only
to give it up and start a career in the police[8].
Simenon often hints that Maigret’s partial knowledge of medicine helps him to solve
some of the crimes he investigated.
SIMENON AND NEUROLOGY
In his book The Bells of Bicêtre, published in 1963[7], Simenon details the medical history of Mr. René Maugras, a 55-year-old Parisian
magnate who has a stroke during lunch at a famous Parisian restaurant, leaving him
paralyzed down the right side and unable to express himself. He then falls into a
coma, and is diagnosed with thrombosis of the left middle cerebral artery[7]. The patient’s clinical course, with severe neurological deficits, his rehabilitation
and the anguish he and his family feel as his condition worsens are described with
great attention to detail and accuracy[7].
SIMENON AND PSYCHIATRY
In one of Simenon’s most famous books, Dirty Snow, published in 1948[6], the main character, 19-year-old Frank Friedmaier is a pimp, a crook and a thief
who lives in France under the Nazi occupation. His mother runs a brothel, which is
frequented by German officers[6]. Frank’s indifference, his mendacity and his complete callousness and lack of any
feeling of remorse for the crimes he commits, provides a clear description of sociopathy[6]. Even after he is sent to prison, Frank remains emotionally detached from his mother,
friends and even a supposed admirer[6].
DISCUSSION
Simenon describes psychological and psychiatric disorders in a way that clearly shows
the “absurdity of human existence” and leads to Simenon being considered “a clinician
of the soul”[5],[6],[7],[8],[9]. In his book My Friend Maigret,[5] Simenon describes in detail the visit of an inspector from Scotland Yard, Mr. Pyke,
to the French Judicial Police. The purpose of the visit is for Pyke to learn from
how Maigret operates[5]. To Pyke’s amazement, Maigret follows no scientific method of investigation but,
literally, enters the inner world of his victim, reconstructing psychological and
social profiles. His technique involves protracted interviews that eventually end
with the perpetrators confession[5].
One of Charcot’s great legacies as a clinician was his contribution to the development
of systematic neurological examination. Charcot attempted to link clinical signs to
specific anatomical lesions in the nervous system. He was a visionary who used Gallic
intuitiveness and showmanship to great effect, in both his clinical demonstrations
and teaching seminars. Maigret’s approach to crime solving reminds us that neurology
can never be reduced to a series of guidelines and algorithms and that, although a
systematic approach may enable a clinician to come to the correct diagnosis, if he
is to cure his patient’s ailment he will require ‘know how’ and tacit knowledge of
human behavior as exemplified by Jules Maigret in his everyday business of bringing
murderers to justice[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10].
