Charenton (asylum)

Charenton was a lunatic asylum founded in 1645 by the Frères de la Charité (Brothers of Charity) in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, now Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France.

[3] Charenton was founded as a hospital for the poor on 13 September 1641 by the Frères de la Charité after receiving a donation from Sébastien Leblanc, an advisor to Louis XIII.

Demand for care grew throughout the 18th century and the Frères de la Charité acquired additional land, including the area of Charenton Saint-Maurice, to ensure there was sufficient space for more patients.

Hersilie Rouy, a thirty-nine-year old French musician, was admitted to Charenton and complained of the subpar living conditions and "tortuous therapy" that also made women more vulnerable to mismanagement by the institution.

In 1822, his research using postmortem evidence concluded that general paresis of the insane, or GPI, resulted from chronic inflammation of a brain area.

[11] The physician Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol used leeches, tepid baths, emetic purging, laxatives, and exercise at Charenton, in addition to psychotherapy.

Marat/Sade depicted the controversy surrounding de Sade, in which French officials criticized the asylum for giving him an elevated status though a lunatic and prisoner.

The 1967 film adaptation featured many of the original players, and utilized the long version of the play's name in its opening credits, although this was frequently shortened to Marat/Sade in publicity materials.

Peter Brook directed a cast that included Ian Richardson, Patrick Magee, Glenda Jackson, Michael Williams, Freddie Jones and Clifford Rose.