Brunonian system of medicine

Under Brownianism one understands the medical body and disease concept of the Scottish physician John Brown (1735-1788), which was published in 1780 by him and in 1800 in Europe was very popular due to its simplicity. According to this concept just a state of medium excitation is healthy, which is why every illness should be treated either by stimulation or sedation.

Theory

The Brownianism sees as a fundamental property of the human body whose " excitability " ( excitability ), which was pronounced mediocre in healthy individuals. Excitability is the innate ability to be excited by stimuli. In case of excessive excitability ( sthenia ) or deficient excitability ( asthenia) the person becomes ill. Disease is only a sthenic or asthenic deviation from the average standard of nervous excitement ( ancient Greek σθἐνος ( sthenos ) = strength, power ). Health exists in equilibrium between stimuli and irritability. An extreme reduction of stimuli generated asthenia as an inability, weakness and rapid fatigability in larger physical or mental effort. An increase of the stimuli produced to some extent a sthenia in terms of improved motivation. Death occurs when the excitability is too high or too low. All diseases can be classified according to this theory between these two extremes. Diseases that are caused by excessive excitability, Brown called sthenic diseases justified to poor excitability asthenic ( underexcitation ). Brown takes this concept to the Irritabilitätslehre Albrecht von Haller and processed influence of his teacher William Cullen.

According to this school of thought, the human excitability exhausted by too frequent arousal, which then triggers the disease. The rarer stimuli act upon a people, the more accumulates thereafter reversed the excitability.

Examples

Mania constitutes an excessive excitability and must therefore be described as sthenic disease. She was due to a brain bug or violent stimuli or passions. These passions can also increase so far but that the excitability itself affected and most recently destroyed. This brought about an asthenic condition which manifests itself as in epilepsy or stroke.

In contrast, the melancholy spot too low excitability Represent should therefore be described as asthenic disease.

The therapeutic principle is derived from the theory. It is the application of oppositely -acting agents that are regarded either as stimuli or as a moderation of stimuli. These funds consist of both dietary requirements as well as from punishment and the excitement of passions. They therefore fall into the repertoire of moral treatment. Until the mid-19th century asthenic " were " treated diseases with stimulating agents » sthenic " with sedatives.

Brown shared the causal stimuli for him in a highly exciting as meat, alcohol, opium, but also affects, as well as in reducing stimuli such as vegetarian food and physical rest. In hyperexcitability he prescribed sedatives, bloodletting, laxatives or emetics in hyposensitivity alleged stimulants such as musk, camphor, opiates, alcohol.

Reception of the doctrine

Brown's theory was hardly, however, recorded in England for Germany in the more violent. Its influence is reflected, inter alia, the fact that it came at German universities to violent clashes between supporters and opponents. Of the numerous followers ( from the German Romanticism ) may be mentioned here Schelling (see Chap. Related links) and Novalis. Novalis grabbed Brown's thoughts, according to the romantic love of the dialectical contradiction of terms such as, sensitivity and disease ',' freedom and violation against nature 'or' day and night ' ( in symbolic meaning for reason and rashness ):