Salpêtrière

Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, commonly called La Salpêtrière, is a major hospital in Paris, France. It has a long history as a charitable institution and a psychiatric hospital and is now part of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital complex within the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP).

The site originated as a gunpowder magazine on the banks of the Seine; its name—salpêtre—reflected that origin. In 1656, by royal charter, it was converted into a hospital to house the poor and infirm. Over the following centuries it expanded into a large complex and became associated with the care of the mentally ill.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, La Salpêtrière played a central role in the reform of psychiatric care in Paris. Physicians such as Philippe Pinel and Jean-Etienne Esquirol contributed to early psychiatric reforms at Parisian asylums, including Salpêtrière, helping lay the foundations of modern psychiatry.

In the late 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot led the hospital's neurological clinic and established the Salpêtrière as a leading center for neurology and the study of hysteria. The hospital attracted students and researchers from across Europe; Sigmund Freud visited and was influenced by Charcot's demonstrations and teaching.

In the 20th century, the hospital became part of the Pitié-Salpêtrière complex and remains a major teaching hospital in Paris. It is part of AP-HP and affiliated with local universities, providing psychiatric, neurological, and other medical services to a large patient population. The facility continues to function as a historic medical institution and a key center for patient care and research in the Paris region.