The History of ‘Nervous Disorders' from 1600 to 1840, and a Comparison with Modern Views

Abstract

In the 18th century the main varieties of nervous illness – hypochondria, hysteria, the spleen, the vapours and dyspepsia – became included under the general term ‘nervous disorders'. When no physical disorder of the nerves could be detected in such conditions, the hypothesis of nervous disorder was replaced by the more vague concept of ‘nervous temperament’. The fact that there is still no evidence of pathological change in such cases continues to expose physicians to the alternative hypothesis of a purely psychological cause. The modern era in our understanding of the nervous system may be said to date from 1843 when Du Bois Reymond showed the electrical nature of nervous conduction. The publication of Jordan'sBriefe Discoursein 1603 may be taken to represent the start of a discrete period (1600 to 1840) in the history of neurotic illness.