Published in:
Open Access
01-01-2016 | Eating Disorders (AS Kaplan, Section Editor)
The Disjointed Historical Trajectory of Anorexia Nervosa Before 1970
Authors:
John P. M. Court, Allan S. Kaplan
Published in:
Current Psychiatry Reports
|
Issue 1/2016
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Abstract
Responses in pre-modern eras to anorexia nervosa (as now understood) varied widely, from religious piety and sanctity through fear and superstition. While noting briefly the limited conceptualizations from pre-modern history this article is primarily focused from the late 19th century, commencing with helpful but tentative formulations of anorexia nervosa for early-modern medicine that were laid out, consistently between themselves, by Lesègue, Gull and Osler. Yet that promising biomedical advent was superseded for more than a half-century by deep, internal divisions and bitter rifts that festered between three medical disciplines: neurology; Freudian psychotherapy; and Kraepelinian biological psychiatry. Mid–20th century developments preceded the 1960–1980s’ improved understanding of suffering and movement toward effective remediation introduced by Dr. Hilde Bruch.