Abstract EN:

From the 16th to the 18th century, several complex theories about the causes of body abnormalities were formulated. The first term which characterizes a “monster” is “different'' and our work will firstly consist in defining that specific “difference”. In order to explain the births of monsters, theologists, scientists of modern era pinpointed many reasons. Since the mid-17th century, far from all the superstitions, scientists wanted to transform the irrational image of the monster into a rational one. This rationalization was possible thanks to the explanation of phenomena which were strongly linked to the “magic and religious” sphere for a long time. The influence of that sphere lasted till the 19th century. This is the reason why the combination “observations- arbitrary theories”, proposed by modern medicine, exists. The constant toing and froing between physiology and ethics is a key element in the study of abnormalities. We set out to follow the progresses of the rationalization and of the medicalization of the perceptions of the monstrous body and more precisely: How the “monstrosity” has evolved from the religious/imaginary sphere to the scientific/ medical sphere, by becoming a pathology that one tries to “fix” in order to integrate people with body deformities into the Modern French society.