Final answer:
Jean-Martin Charcot was the influential French neuroscientist who institutionalized hypnosis as a legitimate medical practice through his research and demonstrations at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.
Step-by-step explanation:
The French neuroscientist who helped legitimize the practice of hypnosis was Jean Charcot. He was a prominent figure in the field of neurology and greatly contributed to the understanding and acceptance of hypnosis as a legitimate therapeutic technique. Charcot's research and teachings played a pivotal role in shaping the field of hypnosis.
Jean-Martin Charcot was a pioneering French neurologist whose work greatly influenced the development of the field of clinical neurology. During the late 19th century, Charcot became famous for his research on hypnosis and hysteria. At the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, he conducted studies and demonstrations that illustrated the effects of hypnosis on patients with hysteria, a condition that was poorly understood at the time. His experiments and clinical demonstrations brought scientific credibility to the practice of hypnosis, which had previously been associated more with mesmerism and spectacle rather than legitimate medical practice. While Sigmund Freud, another key figure in the history of psychology and a contemporary of Charcot, also studied hysteria and the unconscious, it was Charcot's methodical approach to hypnosis and neurological disorders that anchored the practice in the medical community.