A pathography of Louis Riel.

Abstract

The figure of Louis Riel (1844-1885) has assumed more stature and attracted increasing public interest in recent years. No doubt, discussions on Canada's unity and Quebec's leaning towards separateness have provided extra impetus to such reexamination of Canada's best known revolutionary. Biographies, plays, novels, films and operas, have presented pictures of Riel. Most recently the Canadian Government has been asked to issue an official pardon (9). School history books treat Riel more objectively. The diaries of his latter years have been published, and a collection of his letters appear overdue. Psychiatrists too, have examined Riel's case because he is known to have spent some time as a patient in mental hospitals and because during his trial his lawyers tried to convince the court of their client's insanity, albeit unsuccessfully. Some psychiatrists made observations about Riel's early hospitalization (Howard, Roy), but wrote and published about it years later. Others examined him before his trial and gave expert testimony (Roy, Clark, Wallace, Jukes). Others still re-examined Riel on behalf of the Government shortly before his execution (Valade, Jukes, Lavell). Then there are those who described his case from a psychiatric point of view shortly after his execution (Clark, Howard, Gilson, Ireland, Clarke). Lastly, important contributions were made much