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Anorexia nervosa in 19th century America.
W Vandereycken1, E L Lowenkopf
1University Psychiatric Center, Kortenberg, Belgium.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|August 1, 1990
Summary
American physicians showed less interest in anorexia nervosa during the late 19th century compared to European counterparts. This delayed recognition of anorexia nervosa as a distinct syndrome in the US may be linked to "fasting girls" controversies and neurasthenia diagnoses.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Syndrome Recognition
Background:
- Late 19th-century medical literature in Great Britain and France extensively discussed anorexia nervosa.
- American medical writers demonstrated limited engagement with anorexia nervosa as a distinct clinical entity during the same period.
Observation:
- American physicians rarely referenced the syndrome of anorexia nervosa as described by Gull and Lasègue in 1873.
- The first explicit clinical description of anorexia nervosa by an American author, James Hendrie Lloyd, appeared in 1893, a decade after initial European reports.
Findings:
- The delayed recognition of anorexia nervosa in the United States was likely influenced by public fascination with "fasting girls" and the prevalent diagnosis of neurasthenia.
- This suggests a cultural and diagnostic context that may have overshadowed the specific identification of anorexia nervosa.
Implications:
- Understanding this historical delay provides insight into the evolution of psychiatric nosology and diagnostic acceptance in the US.
- It highlights how societal factors and prevailing medical paradigms can impact the recognition of specific disorders.