Georges de Morsier

Georges de Morsier was born 1894, February 25 in Paris as son of Auguste de Morsier (1864-1923) and Blanche Claparède. He grew up in Paris and then in Geneva. There he studied natural sciences and graduated in 1923. He subsequently studied medicine and obtained his federal diploma in 1920 and his doctoral degree in 1922.

In Paris, de Morsier was an assistant of the French psychiatrist Gaétan de Clérambault (1872-1934), what influenced him all his life. In 1928 he started his academic career as Privatdocent for neurology and psychiatry. After the death of Edouard Long (1868-1929) who held a chair of neuro-pathology, no neurology was taught anymore in Geneva.

In 1933 the Société académique founded a one hour a week course and de Morsier was charged to give this lessons. 1941 he was appointed as extraordinary professor. By that time the neurologic unit was part of the clinic of internal medicine. After several discussions it was decided in 1952 to create a separate neurologic clinic after the retirement of the chief of internal medicine, Maurice Roch (1878-1967). In the following year this plan was realised. In 1960, de Morsier was appointed full professor of neurology and director of the neurological clinic of the university. From 1962 on he also headed the neurological polyclinic. He retired 1964.

Biography and bibliography submitted by Patrick Jucker-Kupper, Switzerland.

• Les trémulations fibrillaires et la contracture rigide du cœur.
  Medical thesis, Geneva 1922.
• L'enseignement de neurologie.
  In : La faculté de Médecine de Genève 1876-1976. Genève 1978. p. 86-89.
• Bernard Ducret, Isabelle Aubert, editors:
  Catalogue des ouvrages, articles et mémoires publiés par le corps professoral de l'Université de Genève 1968 à 1972. Genève 1973, page 377. Obituaries:
  
• Theodor Ott, in: Archives Suisses de Neurologie, 1982, 131: 228-230
• Jean Starobinski:
  Georges de Morsier (1894-1982). Gesnerus 1983, 40: 335-338.