On the structure of syphilitic psychoses

There are two directions in the development of the doctrine of syphilitic psychoses. Some psychiatrists, both of the old schools (Kraft-Ebbing, Korsakov) and modern ones (Nonne), deny the existence of syphilitic psychoses sui generis. According to their views, syphilitis. infection can cause the appearance of psychoses of any kind that do not represent anything specific for syphilis. However, some more of the. old psychiatrists had the opportunity, based on the clinical picture, to distinguish the psychoses of syphilitics (in addition to progressive paralysis) into a special group. In 1904, Postovsky, one of the first Russian authors, described the symptom complexes, which he considered characteristic of syphilitic psychoses, having a certain differential diagnostic value. The clinical forms of syphilitis were established by the works of Fournier, Heubner, In Ignbaum'a. psychoses (pseudoparalysis, paranoid, etc.). In the classification of Kgaerelin, based on the nosological principle, syphilitic psychoses are allocated to an independent nosological group. Their diverse forms turned out to come from a common basis. This completed an important stage in the history of this issue, marked, in addition, by the appearance of the Wasserman reaction and new methods of studying spinal fluid.