‘Psychogenic Psychoses’ by August Wimmer (1936): Part 1

Abstract

Among others inspired by Magnan’s doctrine of délires des dégénérés , bouffées délirantes, etc., in 1916 the Danish psychiatrist August Wimmer (1872—1937) authored the first comprehensive monograph on the psychogenic psychoses. Written in Danish only, this classic work did not become directly accessible to international psychiatry until it appeared in English translation in 2003 (Schioldann, 2003a). In the opinion of Strömgren, these psychosis forms became one of the most important stumbling blocks in achieving agreement on international psychiatric nomenclature. The introduction to the Classic Text below — translated from Wimmer’s textbook of psychiatry (1936) — also discusses the possible relationship between Wimmer’s concept and Ey’s bouffées délirantes réactionnelles. Emphasizing that the question of psychogenesis has not yet been answered by modern psychiatry, Berrios urges today’s psychiatrists to study Wimmer’s ‘magnificent’ book, and Bertelsen, deploring that the psychogenic psychoses seem to have disappeared almost completely from current psychiatric classification, urges these illness forms be included in the coming revision of ICD.