Berlin Bowel Bothers: Might Adolf Hitler's Gut Problems Have Been Parkinson-Related?

It has been argued that Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) had Parkinson's disease. He also experienced several gastrointestinal symptoms, for which various explanations have been sought, both contemporaneously and by later authors. In this Historical Note, a possible relationship between Hitler's Parkinson's disease and his gastrointestinal symptoms is explored. Specifically, we posit the hypothesis that Hitler may have suffered from small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), thus providing an early example of SIBO occurring as a prodromal Parkinson's disease symptom.

On the Threshold of Scientific Medicine: Gerard van Swieten and His Perception of the Pathophysiology in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Gerard van Swieten (1700-1772), famous pupil of Professor Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738) of Leiden University and personal physician of Austrian Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). Herman Boerhaave was a renowned Dutch physician inside and outside Europe in the 18th century. He was not only appointed professor in medicine, chemistry, and botany but also a chancellor of the Leiden University in 1714 and published his well-known Aphorismi de cognoscendis et curandis morbis in 1709. Gerard van Swieten commented upon Boerhaave's aphorisms and demonstrated actual knowledge, less well-known among the medical community, about the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury which half a century later (19th century) became known as the Monro-Kellie doctrine. Using the original commentaries upon Boerhaave's aphorisms by van Swieten himself, we explored his way of formulating the pathophysiological concept of traumatic brain injury, which still is valid today.

The Origin of the Idea That Herpes Labialis Is of Prognostic Importance in Bacterial Meningitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work was to study the origin of the idea that herpes labialis (HL) in patients with pneumonia and meningitis was believed to be of prognostic importance. BACKGROUND: HL is caused by a primary infection or reactivation of herpes simplex type I. In the past, it has been related to pneumonia and meningitis; moreover, HL was believed to be of prognostic importance. METHODS: A selection of 19th- and 20th-century textbooks and referred articles was consulted. The relation between meningitis and herpes, type of meningitis, and attributed diagnostic and prognostic importance were studied. In addition, the HL-pneumonia association was studied. RESULTS: The Strasbourg physician Charles-Polydore Forget was the first to describe the HL-meningitis association in 1843. Tourdes (1843), Drasche (1859), and Salomon (1864) attributed a favorable prognostic importance to the HL-meningitis relation. In a comprehensive monograph (1866), August Hirsch, although confirming the association, denied the prognostic importance through critical analysis of the data. Few authors attributed a diagnostic importance to the occurrence of HL, suggesting meningococcal meningitis. CONCLUSIONS: The HL-meningitis relation, but not the prognostic importance, has been mentioned in most neurological textbooks since then. In contrast to meningitis, in which a prognostic attribution of HL was only a short-lived 19th-century idea, the favorable prognostic importance of HL in pneumonia continued to be described until the 1950s. A possible protective effect of herpesviruses has been found in recent years. One could speculate that the disappearance of the prognostic HL-pneumonia relation could be related to the introduction of antibiotics in the late 1940s.

Worth Their Salt: One Hundred Years of Hyperosmolar Therapy.

In this article, we commemorate the centenary of the discovery and clinical implementation of hyperosmolar therapy for the treatment of increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Following the pioneering work of anatomists Weed and McKibben in 1919, the use of hypertonic solutions was soon adopted into clinical practice, even though the preferred hypertonic agent, route of administration, and ideas regarding the physiological mechanism by which it reduced ICP diverged. These divergent conceptions and practices have continued to surround the use of hyperosmolar therapy into present times.

Myelography and the 20th Century Localization of Spinal Cord Lesions.

In this article, we commemorate the centenary of myelography, a neuroradiological procedure that, despite certain disadvantages, significantly contributed to the diagnosis and localization of spinal cord lesions during the 20th century. From the start, the use of myelography was characterized by different views regarding the potential dangers associated with the prolonged exposure of a "foreign body" to the central nervous system. Such differences in attitude resulted in divergent myelography practices; its precise indications, technical performance, and adopted contrast material remaining subject to variability until the procedure were eventually replaced by MRI at the close of the 20th century.

Oxygen treatment for cluster headache attacks at different flow rates: a double-blind, randomized, crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Cluster headache attacks can, in many patients, be successfully treated with oxygen via a non-rebreather mask. In previous studies oxygen at flow rates of both 7 L/min and 12 L/min was shown to be effective. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 100% oxygen at different flow rates for the treatment of cluster headache attacks. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, crossover study, oxygen naïve cluster headache patients, treated attacks with oxygen at 7 and 12 L/min. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of attacks after which patients (treating at least 2 attacks/day) were painfree after 15 min, in the first two days of the study. Secondary outcome measures were percentage of successfully treated attacks, percentage of attacks after which patients were painfree, drop in VAS score and patient preference in all treatment periods (14 days). RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were enrolled, 70 provided valid data, 56 used both flow rates. These 56 patients recorded 604 attacks, eligible for the primary analysis. An exploratory analysis was conducted using all eligible attacks of 70 patients who provided valid data. We could only include 5 patients, treating 27 attacks on the first two days of the study, for our primary outcome, which did not show a significant difference (p = 0.180). Patients tended to prefer 12 L/min (p = 0.005). Contradicting this result, more patients were painfree using 7 L/min (p = 0.039). There were no differences in side effects or in our other secondary outcome measures. The exploratory analysis showed an odds ratio of being painfree using 12 L/min of 0.73 (95% CI 0.52-1.02) compared to 7 L/min (p = 0.061) as scored on a 5-point scale. The average drop in score on this 5-point scale, however, was equal between groups. Also slightly more patients noticed, no or not much, relief on 7 L/min, and found 12 L/min to be effective in all their attacks. CONCLUSION: There is lack of evidence to support differences in the effect of oxygen at a flow rate of 12 L/min compared to 7 L/min. More patients were painfree using 7 L/min, but our other outcome measures did not confirm a difference in effect between flow rates. As most patients prefer 12 L/min and treatments were equally safe, this could be used in all patients. It might be more cost-effective, however, to start with 7 L/min and, if ineffective, to switch to 12 L/min. TRIAL REGISTRATION: European Union Clinical Trials Register ( 2012-003648-59 ), registered 1 October 2012. Dutch Trial Register ( NTR3801 ), registered 14 January 2013.

Trigeminal Neuralgia and Multiple Sclerosis: A Historical Perspective.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) was first described in Lehrbuch der Nervenkrankheiten für Ärzte und Studirende in 1894 by Hermann Oppenheim, including a pathologic description of trigeminal root entry zone demyelination. Early English-language translations in 1900 and 1904 did not so explicitly state this association compared with the German editions. The 1911 English-language translation described a more direct association. Other later descriptions were clinical with few pathologic reports, often referencing Oppenheim but citing the 1905 German or 1911 English editions of Lehrbuch. This discrepancy in part may be due to the translation differences of the original text.

Post-Operative Cluster Headache Following Carotid Endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Secondary cluster headache following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a rare condition and may help us understand the pathophysiology of primary cluster headache. SUMMARY: We describe 2 patients diagnosed with cluster headache, fulfilling the ICHD-IIIB criteria, following CEA. Neither of the patients had headache prior to surgery. They both responded to treatment with oxygen and verapamil. Recent medical literature does not describe any definite cases of cluster headache following CEA. Cluster-like headache has been reported in several studies in the 1990s. Recent studies in primary cluster headache patients show evidence for a central origin of cluster headache in which no peripheral drive seems necessary. Key Messages: Our findings may provide more insight into the pathophysiology and show how a peripheral cause may lead to cluster headache. We hypothesize a role of the trigemino-autonomic reflex. Damage to the carotid artery may activate this reflex and trigger cluster headache. Injury to the internal carotid artery may unleash attacks in patients who are predisposed to develop cluster headache. Further study on the subject is needed to resolve this issue.

Malaria Fever Therapy for General Paralysis of the Insane: A Historical Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first malaria fever treatment (MFT) given to patients with general paralysis of the insane (GPI) by the Austrian psychiatrist and later Nobel laureate, Julius Wagner-Jauregg. In 1921 Wagner-Jauregg reported an impressive therapeutic success of MFT and it became the standard treatment for GPI worldwide. In this study, MFT practice in the Dutch Vincent van Gogh psychiatric hospital in GPI patients who had been admitted in the period 1924-1954 is explored. METHODS: To identify patients with GPI, cause-of-death statistics was used. Data on MFT were retrieved from annual hospital reports and individual patient records. RESULTS: Data on MFT were mentioned in the records of 43 out of 105 GPI patients. MFT was practiced in a wide range of patients with GPI, including those with disease duration of more than 1 year, up to 70 years of age, and those with a broad array of symptoms and comorbidities, such as (syphilitic) cardiac disease. Inoculation with malaria was done by patient-to-patient transmission of infected blood. CONCLUSIONS: MFT practice and mortality rates in MFT-treated patients correspond to similar findings worldwide. MFT was well tolerated and MFT-treated patients had a significantly longer survival.

A review of the current and potential oxygen delivery systems and techniques utilized in cluster headache attacks.

BACKGROUND: Despite oxygen therapy being one of the foremost acute treatments for cluster headache (CH) attacks, little is known about the different techniques and systems. OBJECTIVES: In this review we will examine the efficacy of the standard non-rebreather mask (NRM) with room temperature oxygen in relieving pain in CH, and try to compare it with the diversity of other oxygen gas conditions and interfaces like partial rebreathers, simple masks, nasal cannulas, tusk masks, demand valve oxygen, hyperbaric and cooled oxygen. METHOD: We searched non-structured Pubmed, Medline, the Cochrane online database and instruction protocols from various oxygen delivery devices. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Interfaces like demand valves and tusk masks are already proving to be superior or at least similar to the standard NRM in terms of fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), though the demand valve only showed better results than the NRM in a single study in only four participants. Furthermore, new research shows how lower temperatures of the gas may be an essential part of effective pain relief and hyperbaric treatments show potential in preventing night time attacks.

The Epidural Treatment of Sciatica: Its Origin and Evolution.

Epidural injection with corticosteroids is a common treatment option for patients with lower back pain or sciatica. In this paper we review its origin and evolution. The first injections were given around 1900 in Paris by Jean Sicard (1872-1929) and Fernand Cathelin (1873-1945), who worked independently. They both injected small volumes of cocaine into the sacral hiatus. After a slow start, the epidural treatment of back pain and sciatica gradually spread to other parts of Europe and Northern America. In the early 1950s, corticosteroids were introduced for epidural use. Since the 1970s, there have been numerous clinical trials that show a significant, although small, effect of epidural corticosteroid injections compared with placebo for leg pain in the short term. Despite an ongoing debate about effectiveness and safety, epidural injections remain popular.

Huygens' headache.

BACKGROUND: Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He became well-known as inventor of the pendulum clock and described light as a wave phenomenon. He became Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and member of the Académie des Sciences (Paris). From the correspondence with family members and famous scientists, we learn that he suffered from frequent headaches. AIM: To study Huygens' 22-volume Oeuvres Complètes (1888-1950) to find letters in which his headaches are mentioned and translate pertinent sections into English. CONCLUSIONS: Although a posthumous diagnosis of Huygens' headaches is somewhat hazardous, the recurrent episodes with incapacitating headache and family history over two generations are suggestive for migraine. It becomes clear that it impeded his writing, reading, and research. From the letters we get an impression of the impact of the headache upon his life and the treatments that were applied in the 17th century.

The correspondence between Winkler and Monakow during World War I.

The correspondence (1907-1930) between two leading European neurologists, Cornelis Winkler (1855-1941) and Constantin von Monakow (1853-1930), has been preserved in Amsterdam and Zurich. For this paper, letters exchanged during World War I were studied. Professional as well as personal issues were discussed. An international neurology meeting in Berne in September 1914 had to be cancelled due to the war. They hoped that (neuro)scientists would remain politically neutral, continue scientific cooperation, and even be able to influence the course of the war. Winkler and Monakow tried to continue their work on the International Brain Atlas. Although living in neutral countries (The Netherlands and Switzerland), they observed that their practice and scientific work suffered from war conditions. While Winkler continued his activities as a neurologist, Monakow, affected emotionally, experienced a change in scientific interest toward psychoneurology. He used his diaschisis concept, originally an explanation for transient phenomena in stroke, as a metaphor for the social and cultural effects of the war. He directly related cultural development and brain science, bringing in his own emotions, which resulted in the first of several publications on the relations between biology, brain science, and culture.

Clinical Presentation of General Paralysis of the Insane in a Dutch Psychiatric Hospital, 1924-1954.

General paralysis of the insane (GPI) or dementia paralytica was once a fatal complication of syphilitic infection and a major reason for psychiatric hospitalization. Nowadays, physicians consider GPI to be exceptional. It should be noted, however, that syphilis re-emerged worldwide at the turn of the 20th to 21st century and a revival of GPI can, therefore, be expected. Advanced diagnosis is crucial in that treatment in the early, inflammatory phase is warranted before irreversible tissue damage occurs. Therefore, a renewed clinical awareness of the broad spectrum of psychiatric and neurologic signs and symptoms of GPI is needed. In this historical cohort study, comprising 105 patients with GPI admitted to the Dutch Vincent van Gogh Psychiatric Hospital in the period 1924-1954, the clinical presentation of this invalidating disorder is investigated and described in detail.

The start and development of epilepsy surgery in Europe: a historical review.

Epilepsy has not always been considered a brain disease, but was believed to be a demonic possession in the past. Therefore, trepanation was done not only for medical but also for religious or spiritual reasons, originating in the Neolithic period (3000 BC). The earliest documentation of trepanation for epilepsy is found in the writings of the Hippocratic Corpus and consisted mainly of just skull surgery. The transition from skull surgery to brain surgery took place in the middle of the nineteenth century when the insight of epilepsy as a cortical disorder of the brain emerged. This led to the start of modern epilepsy surgery. The pioneer countries in which epilepsy surgery was performed in Europe were the UK, Germany, and The Netherlands. Neurosurgical forerunners like Sir Victor Horsley, William Macewen, Fedor Krause, and Otfrid Foerster started with "modern" epilepsy surgery. Initially, epilepsy surgery was mainly done with the purpose to resect traumatic lesions or large surface tumours. In the course of the twentieth century, this changed to highly specialized microscopic navigation-guided surgery to resect lesional and non-lesional epileptogenic cortex. The development of epilepsy surgery in Southern Europe, which has not been described until now, will be elaborated in this manuscript. To summarize, in this paper, we provide (1) a detailed description of the evolution of European epilepsy surgery with special emphasis on the pioneer countries; (2) novel, never published information about the development of epilepsy surgery in Southern Europe; and (3) we review the historical dichotomy of invasive electrode implantation strategy (Anglo-Saxon surface electrodes versus French-Italian stereoencephalography (SEEG) model).

The menace reflex.

The menace reflex (blink reflex to visual threat) tests visual processing at the bedside in patients who cannot participate in normal visual field testing. We reviewed a collection of recently discovered historical movies showing the experiments of the Dutch physiologist Gysbertus Rademaker (1887-1957), exploring the anatomy of this reflex by making cerebral lesions in dogs. The experiments show not only that the menace reflex is cortically mediated, but also that lesions outside the visual cortex can abolish the reflex. Therefore, although often erroneously used in this way, an absent menace does not always indicate a visual field deficit.

Nociception specific supraorbital nerve stimulation may prevent cluster headache attacks: serendipity in a blink reflex study.

BACKGROUND: In cluster headache, neuromodulation is offered when patients are refractory to pharmacological prophylaxis. Non-invasive peripheral neuromodulatory approaches are of interest. We will focus on these and particularly on nociception specific, transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation. METHODS: In a study using the nociception specific blink reflex, we made a serendipitous discovery, notably the potential prophylactic effect of bilateral, time contingent, nociception specific, transcutaneous stimulation of the supraorbital nerve. RESULTS: We report on a case series of seven cluster headache patients, in whom attacks seemed to disappear during repeated stimulation of the supraorbital nerves. Three patients stopped experiencing attacks since study participation. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral, time contingent, nociception specific, transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation may have a prophylactic effect in episodic and chronic cluster headache. Given its limited side effects and its non-invasive nature, further studies to investigate this potential peripheral neuromodulatory approach for both episodic and chronic cluster headache are warranted.