齋藤 慎之介

The German psychiatrist Paul Julius Möbius began to use the term Pathographie in a new sense: a psychiatric biography of a historical figure that focuses on their pathological aspects. Byōseki, which originated from Möbius's Pathographie, refers to a uniquely Japanese practice that explores the relationship between creativity and psychopathology. It is also the English translation of the term “pathography,” although the two terms differ significantly in both definition and usage. Originally, “pathography” was defined as “a description of disease,” but it eventually shifted to “a description of an individual or of a community through disease.” In the medical context, it is used mainly in the sense of “medical, psychiatric or psychoanalytic case study of a historical figure” or “patient narratives of illness.” In 1988, a newspaper article redefined pathography as a despicable and ugly biography that emphasizes not only disease but also the negative aspects of life. It can be noted that the above shifts in usage and the addition of new usages in the English term “pathography” were directly or indirectly influenced by Möbius's Pathographie. Although the essence of pathography is rooted in “patho- (disease, suffering),” the essence of Byōseki centers on “creativity.” The two overlap only when referring to medical, psychiatric or psychoanalytic case studies of historical figures. Under each of these terms, a rich body of descriptions of human experience has been archived. Knowing the exact definitions and usages of these terms is crucial for more people to properly access these archives.

色川武大は10代前半から入眠時幻覚を体験しており、30代中盤より体重増加、睡眠発作、脱力発作などの症状が徐々に増悪した。45歳頃にようやく精神科を受診しナルコレプシーと診断された。入眠時幻覚出現の時期と顕在発症の時期の乖離から、色川が自己投薬的にアンフェタミン系薬剤を常用していた可能性が考えられた。48歳時の『生家へ』を転換点として、ナルコレプシーの病的体験をさかんに取り入れた作品を描くようになった。作品群を概観すると①幻覚的色彩が一切ないもの、②人物像や物語に膨らみを与えたり幻想的な印象を付加したりする目的で補助的に幻覚的表現が用いられるもの、③現実、回想、幻覚、夢が混在し全体として混沌とした幻想的なものの3つに分類された。③の作品群では、ナルコレプシー特有の神経生理学的変化を基盤として、覚醒した意識と幻覚的世界が互いに侵入・包摂しあう混沌とした主観的体験が描かれていた。そしてそこに、主観的体験の豊穣さと混沌をぎりぎりまで保ちながら文学作品として成立させるバランス感覚が結びついた作品において、幻覚体験と創造性の密接な関連を見出すことができると考えられた。