[Basic problems in psychiatry]. / Grundfragen der Psychiatrie.

The mind-body problem is the basis for discussing the fundamental problems of psychiatry. It is shown in this article that the inextricability of the mind-body problem is essentially conditioned by (apart from other factors) the (non-permissible) equating of philosophical and empirical propositions: psychic or mental = mind and somatic = soma or body. It is an essential fact, as far as psychiatry is concerned, that as a result of this non-permissible equating of the two concepts the mental and somatic "areas" are not differentiated further, which, in turn, leads to the well-known controversies. The consequences of unsatisfactory methodical reflection are illustrated by means of the concept "endogenous"; such insufficient reflection is also involved in the inadequate attempts to humanise medicine or to treat patients in a more humane way.

[Medical thinking and ways of acting in national socialism]. / Medizinisches Denken und Handeln im Nationalsozialismus.

The historical background of the legislative measures to purify the Germanic race and the "practical measures to strengthen the German people" is the biologistic way of thinking in the 19th century. This evolved from Darwinism, leading to the so-called Social Darwinism. Its final consequence was the murdering of "inferior" human beings, which included murdering mentally ill and mentally retarded people. The latter is extensively described in recent literature and is usually considered as a specifically National Socialist or psychiatric action. These view points are discussed, and the literature on this subject is thoroughly reviewed.

[Psychogenic psychoses. A review of the clinical picture, genesis, prognosis and therapy]. / Dis psychogenen Psychosen. Eine Ubersicht über die klinischen Bilder, die Genese, Prognose und Therapie.

The concept of psychogenic psychosis has always been regarded with scepticism, since it seems to harbour a contradiction in itself: Psychogenic mental disturbances are amenable to a rational approach, that is to say, they are understandable, whereas psychoses are incomprehensible mental disease patterns in respect of their content and course. Nevertheless, psychogenic psychoses have been described fairly often ever since scientific psychiatry came into being; in fact, they are being diagnosed quite frequently in some countries. For the purpose of helping to clarify these theoretical and practical difficulties, the article explains the history of the concept, the clinical patterns of manifestation, and the course of psychogenic psychoses, as well as the concept of their origin. An attempt is made to reconcile the immanent contradictions, and to demonstrate that this is actually a fruitful extension of the scope of the theoretical fundamentals of psychiatry.

[Lithium balance in mania]. / Untersuchungen zur Lithiumbilanz während der Manie.

Lithium balance studies were performed in 19 patients suffering from mania and 6 patients suffering from depression. The following results were obtained: (1) The mean daily requirement for lithium in the manic patients was 52 mM, in those with depression 30 mM (additional requirement in manic patients 73%). (2) Renal elimination of lithium, after optimal blood lithium levels had been reached, was 76% in mania and 97% in depression (retention in manic patients 21%). (3) In mania there was an unchanged lithium half-life time (12-13.5 h). (4) In mania and depression no significant differences in lithium and creatinine clearance were noted. (5) Standard diet or unrestricted sodium chloride administration did not significantly influence the lithium requirement or lithium retention. After exclusion of a renal or dietetic cause for increased lithium requirement or retention during mania, the existence of a 'lithium pool' dependent on the presence of a manic psychosis seems probable. As a result of this, somatic influences on endogenous psychosis have to be taken into account.

[Lithium balance in healthy volunteers]. / Untersuchungen zur Lithiumbilanz bei gesunden Probanden.

Lithium sulphate in a sustained-release preparation was given to three healthy volunteers during 10 days. The following results were obtained: 1. The daily requirement needed for maintenance of an efficient lithium serum level from 0.7 to 0.8 mmol/l amounts to 30 mval. A steady state level of the serum lithium concentration was achieved after 4 to 5 days. 2. The mean value of lithium clearance amounts to 26.8 ml/min. 3. Approx. 98% of the ingested lithium could be recovered from the urine. 4. 6 days after drug withdrawal the lithium concentration in serum and urine was determined as 0. This result shows that the study of lithium balance can rely on renal excretion excluding other pathways. It is discussed that the simultaneous ingestion of psychortropic drugs and sodium chloride may influence the elimination rate of lithium.