On some modes of treatment of insanity as a functional disorder / by George H. Savage.

  • Savage, George H. (George Henry), 1842-1921.
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On some modes of treatment of insanity as a functional disorder / by George H. Savage. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    7 ^7 V rT7' ON SOME MODES OP TREATMENT OE INSANITY AS A FUNCTIONAL DISORDER. ' „,.- -A By GEOEGE H. SAVAGE, M.D., F.R.C.P. I mean only to state that some, not all, cases of insanity are to be thus treated, and I would begin by asserting my belief in the existence of a large number of cases of insanity which rather deserve to be considered as depending on func- tional disorder than on disease of the brain or nervous sys- tem. With Dr. Sutton, I am strongly of opinion that as function makes the organ, so disordered function may destroy the organ. In some cases, for example those of grave hysteria, it has been shown that the suppression of function, such as the complete disuse of the limbs, may give rise to wasting of the muscles, and the stimulus of the muscles by means of massage and galvanism has been shown to suffice to restore speedily not only the function of the muscles, but also the balance of the mind ; I shall endeavour in this paper to show that frequently it is not only useful but reasonable to follow similar methods by which to stimulate the mental functions from without rather than from within. It must be understood that I refer only to a certain class of cases, and that I do not pretend to the relief or cure of coarse brain disease by stimulating the functions of the mind. 1