Augustine

Maid Augustine's hand seems to stop working properly. She suffers what looks like a grand mal seizure. A pitcher of water dumped in her face seems to stop it. (0:03)

Sign: "HOPITAL DE LA SALPETRIERE"
Augustine, her right eye closed, enters with another young woman. (0:06)

Patients in the hospital dining hall. (0:11)

Augustine's roommate: "No one hears you here, not even Charcot."
Augustine: "It's Charcot?" (0:12)

Woman: "So, did you see Charcot?" (0:13)

Neurologist Charcot witnesses Augustine in another attack. (0:17)

Charcot examines Augustine: "Her right side is desensitized."
Augustine feels nothing as Charcot pushes a needle through her arm. (0:20)

Title of diagram of brain: "Brain section death after hysterical attack." (0:23)

A balding man tells Charcot: "Your hysterics always interested me..." (0:27)

Charcot conducts a mental status examination of Augustine. (0:30)

Charcot: "Today's patient is named Augustine...She's had attacks for months and presents every symptom of what we call 'ovarian hysteria.' Notice the paralysis of the right eye? An excellent example of the hysterical wink. Permanent paralysis. The symptoms have been visible for days, but we've found no organic lesion. As with all hysterics, the patient defies the laws of anatomy. We'll put her under hypnosis. Via hypnosis, we'll reproduce the attack in its natural state... to classify the symptoms... Mr. Bourneville, you may hypnotize her."
Hypnotist Bourneville hypnotizes Augustine.
Charcot: "Do you know where you are?"
Augustine: "I don't know."
Charcot: "Know the Salpetriere?"
Augustine: "Yes. It's where they treat me."
"You're Mr. Charcot."
She suffers another attack. (0:33)

A bearded diner tells a woman diner, "Charcot has a new patient."
Woman: "Your husband's new patient?"
Charcot: "You mean patient."
"I trigger attacks to study symptoms.
Bearded man: "If it's in the brain, why is their delirium always sexual?"
Charcot: "It's just delirium." (0:39)

Female patient: "I cut myself... And afterwards I felt better." (0:49)

Augustine swoons after decapitating a hen. Her eye opens, but she involuntarily clinches her left hand. (0:50)

Charcot: "Paralysis on the left now... Hypnotized, she becomes totally stiff." (0:51)

Charcot's wife Constance's maid reads to her, "Augustine, under Dr. Charcot's gaze, performed..." (0:56)

Augustine asks, "What about Mr. Charcot?" (0:58)

Charcot: "I have a patient for you... a magnificent patient..." (0:59)

A nurse tells Charcot, "She was agitated after you left."
"I gave her laudanum..."
Charcot: "Why is she tied up?"
Nurse: "She was very agitated."
Augustine restrained in her bed. (1:01)

Constance reads from her newspaper: "We are all hysterical since Dr. Charcot, the high priest of hospital harvested hysteria, spends a fortune maintaining a race of nervous women, whom he infects with madness, provoking demoniacal frenzy. Cheat on your husband? Hysterical. But a sensual hysteric. Lie constantly? Hysterical. Like to eat? Hysterical. Nervous? Hysterical. You are... hysterical." (1:12)

A nurse tells Augustine, "Mr. Charcot is waiting." (1:20)

Augustine falls. Function returns to her left hand.
Nurse: "Calm down or you'll get laudanum."
Augustine: "But I'm cured."
Nurse: "Tell it to Mr. Charcot." (1:22)

Charcot addresses a meeting: "Our hysterical patients are not witches or feigners..."
"I'll begin by showing you an hysterical attack. To do so I'll hypnotize the patient before your eyes... You'll notice three distinct, separate steps. The tonic phase, the clonic phase, and the final phase... Augustine... an experienced patient..."
Bourneville tries to hypnotize Augustine, but she resists before suffering another attack with clinched hand. (1:24)