BIOLOGICAL THERAPIES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY: WHAT IS INNOVATIVE TODAY BECOMES OBSOLETE TOMORROW

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594652404079

• Palavras-chave: Psychiatry; Biological therapies; 20th century

• Keywords: Psychiatry; Biological therapies; 20th century

• Abstract:

  The affirmation of Psychiatry, as a medical specialty, throughout the 20th century, was supported by advances achieved not only in terms of understanding aspects of psychology, but also the biology and clinical aspects of mental illnesses, which contributed to the development of therapeutic tools considered innovative for the time.
  By way of example, we highlight Wagner von Jauregg's malariotherapy in 1917, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1927, Klaesi's prolonged sleep therapy in 1922, Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1929, Sakel's insulin coma in 1933 and psychosurgery initially developed by Egas Moniz, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1949.
  However, despite being used at that time, some of these therapeutic tools currently do not have any scientific validity in the treatment of mental disorders, meaning their use is now extinct.