Les sources janétiennes de l’œuvre de Proust

It has been acknowledged for some time now that Marcel Proust's work had been influenced by the medicine of his time. But the scientific sources concerning two major themes from In Search of Past Time were discovered only recently. Hervey de Saint-Denys’ Les Rêves influenced Proust's interest in sleep and dream functions. In turn, experimental psychology works from the late xix century influenced the key concept of the “other self”, considered by Proust to be the real author of the books. In his work, Edward Bizub (Bull Marcel Proust 56 (2006) 41-51) has highlighted the novelist's in-depth readings about experiences in dual personality conducted by a myriad of Charcot's alumni, including Pierre Janet and… Adrien Proust. Knowledge about the division of consciousness and preFreudian laws of the unconscious allowed the hidden self of the hero of In Search of Past Time to emerge.     

Therapeutic itinerary of poor patients in Benin (poverty and health care)

OBJECTIVE: There is great risk of excluding the poor in a system where patients are charged for medical care. Our objective was to identify the stages of the therapeutic itinerary of poor and nonpoor patients in case of illness. METHOD: Prospective study over 12 months, in 16 sites selected randomly after dividing the territory of Benin into four strata. The sample included 1312 households (668 poor and 644 nonpoor) and 9554 people. Those who were ill during the study period were interviewed on the therapeutic itinerary chosen. RESULTS: A total of 1959 (20.5%, of whom 1091 were poor) of the 9554 people in our sample experienced at least one episode of illness. The nonpoor chose the health centres in the first instance more frequently than the poor (26.3%vs. 20%; P < 0.001); but the first choice of most patients (66.4% of poor and 63.9% of the nonpoor patients) was modern or traditional self-medication. Within the strata (regions), indigents and nonpoor in the urban region and the north chose different treatments in the first instance (P < 0.001). Apart from the first treatment chosen, no significant difference was observed between the therapeutic satisfaction of both groups. Patients unsatisfied with the first step of treatment were essentially those who used traditional or modern self-medication. Despite this, modern and traditional self-medication remain the most frequent second step choice for both poor and nonpoor patients. CONCLUSION: The main difference between poor and nonpoor people's therapeutic itinerary is that nonpoor people more often use state health facilities first than the poor.     

Les poèmes français de Michel Mitsakis : néologies d’aède ou néologismes de phrénopathe ?

The Greek writer Michel Mitsakis (1863-1916) rapidly became known for the dynamic nature of his work, but also for his most singular behavior. His text on a village idiot and on the psychiatric hospital in Corfu are major literary works. After a first hospitalization for “dementia praecox” in 1896, after that date he hardly ever wrote in his native language. On the contrary, between 1900 and 1911, he wrote several poems in French scribbled in the margins of a volume of the Iliad, or on pieces of paper which he left on journalists’ desks. These poems are of great literary importance. The implication of the psychopathological process in Michel Mitsakis’s work is also of major interest.     

A supernumerary kidney. Apropos of a case

Supernumerary kidney is a rare poorly documented anomaly. It's generally discovered in stage of complications. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult. The authors report a case of hydronephrotic supernumerary kidney, diagnosed preoperatively, in a 45 years old patient with a review of the literature.