the explanations of the acts was recognised as such by the medical profession, then already had given the profession and the speciality of forensic psychiatry in itself, its important position especially in regard to the courts.921 Although one can get the impression that the psychiatric perspective and thus its influence on criminal justice was greater in France than in many other countries, that impression was not shared by all French psychiatrist. Charles Chrétien Henri Marc complained that in Germany psychiatrists were both more respected and listened to by the lawyers.922 Despite the conclusion of Foucault that the role of psychiatry was to discover a hitherto unknown motive, often the study of the motive in the francophone and psychiatrically leaning studies were mainly limited to using the motive to ascertain that the reasons behind the crime were a task for the psychiatrists.923 Then no reason was thought to really exist for legal, theological, or philosophical analysis or debate. One interesting example is how many enlightened theologians looked askance at all kinds of ’enthusiastic’ theology and thus ’enthusiasm’ in piety was often judged as some form of insanity by physicians supported by these theologians.924 Theologians of all types, however, would probably see some reasonableness in the view of Georget that some motives though theological, would be better delt with by psychiatrists, even when he called them imaginary, such as saving the family through a Baptism of blood or being ordered by a voice from above or through visions.925 921 ”Mais entre-temps, grâce à cette doctrine, la psychiatrie médico-légale était née et s’était solidement implantée dans les prétoires. Le médecin aliéniste avait définitivement acquis ses galons d’expert, et la psychiatrie était devenue une spécialité médicale majeure.” Postel et Postel 1988 p 185. 922 Marc 1833 p 32 sqq. ”Disons plus les médecins allemands eurent beaucoup moins de peine que des médecins français à faire prévaloir leurs doctrines devant les tribunaux de leurs pays respectifs. En effet nous voyons que, déjà plus de trente ans avant la fin du dernier siècle, les monomaniaques trouvaient grâce devant les tribunaux allemands, tandis que beaucoup plus tard ils étaient condamnés par les tribunaux français.” (Quotation p 32.) 923 See e g Ducpétiaux 1827 p 41 sqq, Esquirol 1831 particularly p 3 sqq, 10 sq. See also concerning the psychiatric background Harris 1989 p 7 sqq and Goldstein 2001 p 165 sq. 924 See e g Geyer-Kordesch 2011 p 215. 925 Georget 1825 p 95. 258
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