Objekt 1165
Insulin coma therapy
Description
Insulin has been used in various ways in psychiatry – whether to stimulate the appetite or to calm. Unintentionally induced hypoglycaemic comas led to an improvement in the mental state. This observation was the basis of insulin coma therapy. Here, patients were injected with insulin, deliberately inducing a coma. Afterwards, they were given a sugar solution via a probe, which brought them out of the coma. The method was risky and there were repeated deaths. With the rise of psychotropic drugs, the insulin coma therapy lost its importance. However, it was still used until the late 1960s when all other methods failed.
Object description
Insulin packaging
Inv. 2018.471
Hypodermic syringes
Inv. 2018.474.
Hypodermic needles
Inv. 2018.475.
Enamelled container for administering a sugar solution via gastric tube
Inv. 2018.521.