Bénézech M
Ann Med Psychol (Paris). 1985 May;143(5):409-48.
The author carried out a study on the somatic and mental health of Marie Besnard who, having at first been accused of poisoning eleven members of her family, was finally acquitted in 1961. He bases his study on medical reports contained in the case file, which is kept in the Palais de Justice in Bordeaux. In the light of the medical literature, the author criticizes classical psychiatric data concerning poisoners, who, in the main, are hysterical, perverse and unbalanced women. He does not believe that there is a characteristic psychological profile of such criminals. Having described the physical condition of Marie Besnard, the author analyses her psychiatric file. He criticizes the way in which the document was compiled, since in his opinion the three psychiatric experts who consigned it interpreted in an accusatory manner the subjective data of their examination. The author concludes that the penal responsability of a defendant should not be founded on psychological data, but only on objective material proof. The study finishes with the integral text of the Marie Besnard psychiatric report; the reader may therefore form his own opinion on the case.
作者对玛丽·贝斯纳德的身心健康状况进行了一项研究。玛丽·贝斯纳德最初被指控毒死了家中的十一名成员，最终于1961年被宣告无罪。作者的研究基于存放在波尔多法院大楼的案件卷宗中的医学报告。根据医学文献，作者批评了关于投毒者的传统精神病学数据，这些数据主要认为投毒者是歇斯底里、行为乖张且精神失衡的女性。他不相信这类罪犯有典型的心理特征。在描述了玛丽·贝斯纳德的身体状况后，作者分析了她的精神病学档案。他批评了该文件的编撰方式，因为在他看来，撰写该档案的三位精神病学专家以指控的方式解读了他们检查的主观数据。作者得出结论，被告的刑事责任不应基于心理数据，而应仅基于客观物证。该研究最后附上了玛丽·贝斯纳德精神病学报告的完整文本；因此，读者可以就此案形成自己的看法。
