Figure 2
. “L ‘Oeuvre de Claude Bernard”
55 Bernard C. L’ Oeuvre de Claude Bernard. Introd. par Mathias Duval;
notices par E. Renan, Paul Bert et Armand Moreau; table alphabétique et
analytique des Oeuvres complètes de Claude Bernard par Roger de La Coudraie;
bibliographie des travaux scientifiques par. G. Malloizel. Paris: Baillière in
Paris 1881. (1881) is the Bernard's exposition of his
views and some of the original facts that may be examined in his
published lectures and in posthumous praises. Two groups of studies may
envisaged, the works at the College of France, analytical and dedicated
to his own research, and those at the Sorbonne-Museum, of a more general
character. Some issues have more direct link to neurology. In 1857,
Bernard published “Lessons on the Effects of Toxic Substances and Drug”
where many studies of the toxicological properties of neuroactive
compounds, such as curare, opium, atropine, strychnine and nicotine
where presented
77 Conti F. Claude Bernard's des fonctions du cerveau: an ante
litteram manifesto of the neurosciences? Nat Rev Neurosci
2002;3:979-985.. In
1858, Bernard published “Lessons on the physiology and pathology of the
nervous system” (see more details on
Figure 3). “The Experimental Science” (1878) is a collection
of works that include subjects such as curare and brain. About curare,
Bernard mentions.” In 1844, I received from Mr. Pelouze poisoned arrows
and curare . In 1848, a young Brazilian who took my courses, Dr.
Edwards, gave me curare. “In June 1844, I had my first experience with
curare.” “In our physiological analysis, we got to locate the action of
the poison on the nervous motor element”. The last text (about the
brain) is one originally published on
Revue des Deux
Mondes (1872) – “The functions of the brain.” It is based
on animal experiments with its common methodology and human cerebral
lesions, Bernard realized that “Physiology shows that despite the
differences observed and the greater complexity of the phenomena, the
brain is the organ of intelligence as well as the heart is the organ of
circulation, organs and their functions, it is a general principle that
no organ of the body can escape.”
