[Philippe Pinel and the legendary "unchaining" at the Paris Bicêtre (1793) and Salpêtrière (1795) Hospitals. II: Historical background, allegorical descriptions discipline generated myths].

Part I of this article has described Pinels carrier upto the 1790ies. This second part concentrates of the actual events and the general historical backgrounds of the so-called "chain liberation." This--in our opinion--cannot be regarded as one singular act, but as symbol for a complex and multistage process. The very common conception of a selective act of "chain liberation" is very simplified and influenced by the "myth of Pinel, " built by the 19th century psychiatrists and historians. Nevertheless: a scientifically sophisticated biography founded on archives material is yet expected.