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Eugen Bleuler

At the Burghölzli

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic was the scene of developments in psychiatry that were of worldwide importance. Eugen Bleuler was director of the Burghölzli and an open mind. He took up ideas of psychoanalysis early on and was in close contact with Sigmund Freud, whom he defended against colleagues that were more skeptical. Together with Carl Gustav Jung, Bleuler applied psychoanalytic theories for a better understanding of “dementia praecox”. For this group of illnesses, Bleuler should finally introduce the term “schizophrenia”. First though, he supported the research of Carl Gustav Jung, who published the results of his experimental investigations and clinical observations under the title “Die Psychologie der Dementia praecox: ein Versuch” in 1907.

Carl Gustav Jung

The journal as a place for debate

The article shown in the exhibition “From Issue to E-Journal” in the Main Library Medizin – Careum is a defense of Jung’s book, which met with fierce criticism. The article consists of two parts. Bleuler presents his arguments first. He carefully explains the terminology. He emphasizes that the emotional complexes Jung describes are not the cause of the disease, but only important for the development of the symptoms. He then accuses the critics of a lack of understanding of the approach. It is interesting that Bleuler on the one hand defends Jung’s work, but also reveals where their opinions differ. Jung himself wrote only a few summing up additions after Bleuler’s longer statement. He also explicitly points out where their views diverge. The article leaves a vivid impression how fruitful the debates at Burghölzli were, and how openly contradictions were dealt with. However, the difference in opinion displayed are also a first indication of the separation of the two, which followed shortly after.

The term “schizophrenia”

As early as April 1908, one month after the publication of the article, Bleuler used the term “schizophrenia” for the first time at a lecture. The adaption of the new concept in psychiatry was surprisingly fast. With the term “schizophrenia” – literally translated as “divided mind” – Bleuler emphasized the division of mental functions as an important symptom, as opposed to “premature stupefaction”, the literal translation of “dementia praecox”. Bleuler completed his classic “Dementia praecox oder Gruppe der Schizophrenien” in the summer of 1908 and published it in the year 1911. Jung quit the Burghölzli in 1909. He opened a private practice. As the founder of analytical psychology, he became one of the best-known personalities in psychiatry today.