Jean-Martin Charcot's contributions to the interface between neurology and psychiatry

Although much has been written about Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) as a neurologist and his commitment to the hysterics of the Salpêtrière, his influence on modern psychiatric thought has been misunderstood. His contributions range from the diagnosis and understanding of certain aspects of hysteria, which influenced psychoanalysis, to insights into the psychopathology of trauma that foreshadow modern concepts of post-traumatic stress disorder and somatoform disorders. This article reviews these aspects in the context of his contributions as a founder of modern neurology, neuropathology and proponent of the anatomo-clinical approach.