Article

General paralysis is a neurological symptom of tertiary syphilis that was first
identified in asylums as paralytic madness. The enlightened discussion of 60
clinicopathological cases provided by Louis Florentin Calmeil in his 1826
treatise greatly improved our knowledge of general paralysis. However, Calmeil
was unable to relate this symptom to syphilis, although the latter was quite
widespread at that time. Following a detailed reanalysis of Calmeil's
observations with special attention to his clinical and demographic data, we
conclude that this eminent clinician was unable to define the cause of general
paralysis because his early 19th century mind was still under the influence of
traditional knowledge and moral prejudices. For Calmeil, general paralysis
belonged entirely to the realm of psychiatry.
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Langue : ANGLAIS