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Neurasthenia and Its Transformations in Western Psychiatry

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Psychiatry The State of the Art

Abstract

In 1869, New York neurologist, George Beard (1839–1883) published his influential paper on neurasthenia. In his introduction he remarks “The morbid condition or state expressed by this term has long been recognized...but the special name neurasthenia is now, I believe, for the first time presented to the profession.” Yet in the same year and independently, a paper entitled Observations on a Form of Nervous Prostration, (Neurasthenia) Culminating in Insanity was published by E. H. Van Deusen. It is evident that both authors were influenced by a common atmosphere of ideas and that the concept of “neurasthenia” was ripe for explicit formulation.

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© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Prince, R.H., Tcheng-Laroche, F. (1985). Neurasthenia and Its Transformations in Western Psychiatry. In: Pichot, P., Berner, P., Wolf, R., Thau, K. (eds) Psychiatry The State of the Art. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1853-9_99

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1853-9_99

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-1855-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-1853-9

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