1819 Medical Letter from “Lunatic Asylum” Maison Royale De Charenton Stating a Criminal is Unfit to Attend Court

On offer is a fascinating medical letter, written for legal purposes, on the letterhead of the French ‘lunatic asylum’, Maison Royale De Charenton. This letter was authored by French physician and psychiatrist, Antoine-Athanase Royer-Collard. At the time of this letter’s writing, on September 16, 1819, Dr. Royer-Collard was Director of Charenton.

In this letter, Dr. Royer-Collard confirms that Madame Senouie (Elizabeth Gillette) is a patient of the institution. He goes on to say that she is suffering from dementia and is not fit to appear before a public official, presumably to answer allegations made against her. The letter reads as follows:

Je soussigne, Docteur en Medecine et Professor a la Faculte de Medecine de Paris, Inspector-general des Etudes, Medecine en chef de la Maison Royale de Charenton, etc, certifie que la dame Senoui ... entre dan le dit maison le 8 fevrier de cette annee on XX de manie aigue avec paroxymes… ... et que cette maladie la rend incapable de le presenter devant un officier publique…

[Translation: I, the undersigned, Doctor of Medicine and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, General Inspector of Studies, Chief Physician of the Royal House of Charenton, etc, certify that the lady Senoui ... entered the said house on February 8 of this year on XX of acute mania with dementia... and that this illness renders her incapable of presenting before a public officer…]

The letter closes with the physician’s signature, accompanied by a very clear impression of the seal of the Maison Royale De Charenton.

The Maison Royale De Charenton was a lunatic asylum established in 1645 immediately south of Paris. Lunatic asylums or madhouses had been in existence across Europe for centuries. By the early 19th century, Charenton had developed a reputation for its humanitarian treatment of patients. It is important to note that not just psychiatric or psychological maladies could result in confinement. Many many people were committed to these institutions for behaviours that were seen as socially suspect. In a male-dominated society, many women were committed simply because they challenged men, either within the home or in the community. Religious zeal could also see people committed for straying too far from church orthodoxy.

Charenton saw many notable residents. These included the writer Jean Latude, the French nobleman and army officer Jean-Francois de la Motte, the Count of Sanois, Andre Gill, the noted caricaturist and, most well-known of all, the Marquis de Sade. De Sade was committed in 1801 and the author of this letter most certainly would have had interactions with him. 

This is an excellent example of the interaction between medical professionals and the legal authorities in France and is especially noteworthy because it is a connection between the writer and one of France’s most notorious citizens.

The document measures 7.5” x 10”. It has slight discolouration showing signs of its age. The note has previously been folded and there is some slight bending on the corners. The handwriting, seals and letterhead are very legible.