Introduction
Names and uses of a diagnosis
The establishment of hysteria as a medical category
An intermingling of terms
First occurrences of the term "hysteria"
Vaporous affection and social class
Encounters between medical and religious spheres
In search of metaphors: figuring what cannot be defined
A catalog of images: Proteus, the chameleon, and the hydra
Repeated quotations, divergent readings
The writing of a pathology and practices of dissemination
Dialogue
Autobiography
Fictional correspondence
The epistolary consultation
Anecdotes
Code, truth, or ruse? the vapors in the republic of letters
Well-timed fits
The practice of vapors
The force of the imagination
Relating fits and creating enigmas: the role of narrative
Bodies awaiting exegesis
The rise of medical narrative
In the shadow of a gothic tale
Traps and countertraps
The construction of secrets
Adopting roles and redefining medicine
To mystify or to demystify? establishing the role of the therapist
Magnetism, parodies, and mystification: the art of framing a therapeutic
Practice
Strategies of legitimation and definitions of the patient to come
Investing in women
Conclusion.