Jean-Alexandre Barré (1880-1967): his detection sign of subtle paresis due to pyramidal deficit (1919) and his work in line with that of Giovanni Mingazzini (1859-1929).

This is a paper about the development of a sensitive examination of subtle motor pyramidal deficits. Jean-Alexandre Barré's life and work are reappraised, and also his milieu prone to increase his clinical skillfulness and sharping many motor maneuvers on subtle motor deficits (1919, 1920, 1937). Giovanni Mingazzini is also remembered by his precursor publication of "small signs" about organic paresis (1913), and by his neuroanatomical background, in an Italian Neuropsychiatric milieu, at the time.