Moral Treatment: Philippe Pinel

Abstract

Philippe Pinel a pioneer, a french psychiatrist, a physician, known as father of modern psychiatry, revolutions psychiatric care of patients with mental illness by introducing concept of moral treatment. Pinel rejected the then prevailing popular notion that mental illness was caused by demonic possession and stated that mental disorders could be caused by a variety of factors including psychological or social stress, congenital conditions, or physiological injury, psychological damage, or heredity. Philippe Pinel for the first time in history of psychiatric patients treated them humanly by unchaining patients known as madmen. This historic event was done for first time in Bicêtre Hospital in 1798 a Parisian insane asylum. In this article a brief history of life and work of pioneer Philippe Pinel is mentioned.