Dysmorphophobia and taphephobia: two hitherto undescribed forms of Insanity with fixed ideas

Abstract

This article provides the first readily available English translation of Morselli's classic article in which he coins the term 'dysmorphophobia'. Biographical details of Morselli's professional career and his clinical work provide further insight into Morselli's conceptual models. Reference is made to Magnan and the 'Degeneration Theory of Mental Illness' and as a counterpoint to the evolution of Morselli's thinking regarding pathogenesis of mental illness. Morselli's views of the symptom of dysmorphophobia are compared to the current nosological view of a Body Dysmorphic Disorder and are shown to still be very much in keeping with current views of this symptom of pathological attitudes towards the self.