Background
He was the son of psychiatrist Armand Semelaigne (1820–1898) and a great-nephew of Philippe Pinel (1745-1826).
He was the son of psychiatrist Armand Semelaigne (1820–1898) and a great-nephew of Philippe Pinel (1745-1826).
As a psychiatrist, he served as director of the Maison de santé de la Folie Saint-James à Neuilly. He is remembered for his historical studies of psychiatry, being the author of three well-regarded works:
Les grands aliénistes français (1894) - The great French alienists. Involves biographical studies of Pinel, Esquirol, Ferrus, Falret, Voisin and Georget.
Aliénistes et philanthropes.
Les Pinel et les Tuke (1912) - Alienists and philanthropists. Pinel and Tuke.