Neurologic progress and prospects : chairman's address, delivered before the Section on Nervous and Mental Diseases of the American Medical Association, at the Fifty-fourth Annual Session, held at New Orleans, May 5-8, 1903 / F.W. Langdon.

  • Langdon, Frank Warren, 1852-1933.
Date:
1903
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Neurologic progress and prospects : chairman's address, delivered before the Section on Nervous and Mental Diseases of the American Medical Association, at the Fifty-fourth Annual Session, held at New Orleans, May 5-8, 1903 / F.W. Langdon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    use. It is evident that “the strenuous life” is not for either of these classes. The prophylactic and therapeutic efforts of the phy- sician, therefore, must be largely addressed to the main- tenance of nutrition, the regulation of function and the conservation of energy. TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY. As an important adjunct to the better management of the above problems we need chairs of psychology and psycho-pathology in our medical colleges generally, (vide Persching39). Many have not even full chairs of neurologic medicine proper. It is largely due to this omission, and the consequent indifference of practi- tioners to psychiatry as well as psychotherapy, that the various isms, pathies and “cults” flourish as they do. To successfully solve this problem we must do better than they, i. e., we must add to a sound therapy based on solid anatomic, physiologic and pathologic founda- tions, the same subtle, but none the less effective, psycho- therapy which is the sole weapon of the pretender. TO SUMMARIZE THE OUTLOOK: We may look for important aids to neurologic prog- ress, to serum and other antitoxic therapy; to cyto- diagnosis and hematologic procedures generally; ,to or- ganic and electro-chemistry; to prophylactic hygiene and dietetics; to a wise adjustment of function to struc- ture; to special -institutional measures and. to better facilities for teaching neurology in general, including psychology, psychiatry and psycho-therapy. The future of neurologic medicine as worked out along these lines will be of vast importance to the welfare of humanity. “All things come to him who waits,” he who would utilize them must act. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1. Broca : “Remarques sur le si6ge de la faculty du langage ar- ticulfi, suives d’une observation d’aphSmie.” Bulletin de la SociOtS Anatomique, August, 1861, p. 330; November, 1861, p. 398. (Quot- ed from Collins, The Faculty of Speech, N. Y., 1898.) 2. Cajal: La fine Structure des Centres Nerveaux. Proc. Royal Society, London, 1894. 3. Ballance and Stewart: The Healing of Nerves. McMillan & Co., London, 1901. 4. Worcester, W. L. : Jour. Nerv. and Ment. Dis., 1898, p. 698. 5. Apathy, S. : Das leitende Element des Nervensystems und