Educational Principles in Occupational Therapy

Extract

In the care and treatment of mental patients there has been great progress. In our fight against the disease, the psychosis, which disorganizes the higher mental functions, we have achieved numerous therapeutic successes. I need only mention malarial therapy in dementia paralytica, salvarsan and trypar-samide for cerebral syphilis, the treatment of the digestive organs in cases of toxæmic psychoses, the removal of focal infections in numerous cases of schizophrenic derangement, the somnifaine prolonged narcosis treatment in manic-depressive psychosis, non-specific stimulation in various other psychotic conditions. The great importance of underlying somatic causes and of a rational somatic therapy are fully recognized, and it remains the principal task of the psychiatrist to search for the causes of the psychoses and for the means of combating and preventing them.