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Hécaen, Henry (1912–1983)

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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

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  • The contemporary identity of neuropsychology was in many ways shaped by the work of Henry Hécaen. While his career was still in its nascent stages, Hécaen moved away from his initial interest in psychiatry, and became increasingly involved in the study of neurology, under the mentorship of Jean Lhermitte. Although the term was not then widely used, Hécaen had been described as a neuropsychologist “from that moment until the end” (Lhermitte et al. 1985). Although the more prestigious routes of the Salpêtrière and Bicêtre were closed to him, due to the rigidity of the French medical establishment (Boller 2006), Hécaen managed to harness the opportunities available to him to become one of the most influential and essential individuals in the establishment of neuropsychology as a distinct discipline.

  • The end of the Second World War and the liberation of France allowed Hécaen to concentrate on the practice of neurology and...

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References and Readings

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Correspondence to Anthony Y. Stringer .

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Hudepohl, A., Stringer, A.Y. (2018). Hécaen, Henry (1912–1983). In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_625

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