Objekt 1121
Physical illnesses as a cause
Description
The realisation that syphilis causes brain damage in the late stages, and thus mental disorders, was important for psychiatry. This supported the theory that mental illnesses are brain diseases. The collection of spinal fluid for syphilis testing was therefore part of the standard examination for a long time. In the search for causes of disorders, the brains of deceased patients were occasionally examined – usually without significant results. Today, various imaging techniques are used for such investigations.
Object description
Brain specimen in alcohol
On loan from the Swiss Psychiatry Museum in Bern
Dissection case, dated 1842
Inv. 2018.531.
Puncture cannulas for taking spinal fluid, among other things
Inv. 2018.651.