Balle Symptom

Balle Symptom: Discoverer and Influence on Psychoneurology

Ballet Symptom, full name Jean Louis Charles Alfred Ballet (1853-1916), was a prominent French neuropsychiatrist whose research had a significant impact on the fields of psychiatry and neurology. He became famous for the discovery of symptoms named after him - "symptom scores." These symptoms play an important role in the diagnosis and classification of certain neurological and mental disorders.

Jean Louis Charles Alfred Ballet was born in 1853 in France. He studied at the Paris Medical School and became one of the students of the famous French psychiatrist Jean-Martin Charcot. Balle took a special interest in the study of nervous and mental disorders and focused his research on symptoms related to movement and muscle control.

During his observations, Balle noticed that some patients with neurological and mental illnesses had specific abnormalities in their movements and postures. He described several typical symptoms that were later named after him. These symptoms include:

  1. Athetosis: Involuntary, smooth movements of the limbs, often found in cases of parkinsonism and other movement disorders.

  2. Hemiballismus: sudden, uncontrolled movements of half the body associated with damage to certain areas of the brain.

  3. Dystonia: unusual, sometimes painful postures and unusual movements caused by poor muscle coordination.

Balle Symptom became a pioneer in the field of research on motor symptoms and their relationship with neurological and mental disorders. His work was of great importance for the classification and diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and dystonia.

The influence of Balle Symptom on modern psychoneurology cannot be underestimated. His research and publications have contributed to the development of a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as their diagnosis and treatment. The symptoms named after him are still used in clinical practice to describe and classify symptoms related to movement and muscle control.

In conclusion, Ballet Symptom, a French neuropsychiatrist, left a deep mark on psychiatry and neurology through his research and discoveries. His observations and descriptions of the symptoms named after him played an important role in the diagnosis and classification of various neurological and mental disorders. Thanks to his work, scientists and practitioners continue to advance our understanding of these disorders and develop more effective treatments for them.



Pierre Jean Ballet de Saint-Amand was born in Nice, which at that time became a center of culture and art. From adolescence, he became interested in theater and prepared school plays, and after receiving his matriculation certificate, he went to Paris, where he entered the Faculty of Law, but never completed it. After graduating from college, Pierre began to travel and at the age of 20 he made his first trip to Paris. A year later, he receives French citizenship and successfully enters the theatrical environment of Paris. The young man's father, the Duke and famous philanthropist de Windt, wanted his son to continue his work - to patronize art and himself become an aristocrat, a good reveler, a libertine and a favorite of women. This “superman” instilled in him a love of luxury, money, fashionable things and women. About the latter, Balle said: “We are slaves of voluptuous desires...”. It was under the impression of such snobs that Balle created the image of a pitiful student with the fate of the fallen Monsieur Beaton from the comedy “Bayul Hotel”.

The influence of his father on the formation of the personality of young Balle was significant, which subsequently did not save him from dependence on champagne. By the age of 30, he already had five children, two of whom were adopted. But