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Issue 3 of Neurosciences and History is now available. Don’t miss the opportunity to read our latest research articles on the history of neurology.
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Axel Munthe: a model of values for current neurological practice
L. C. ÁlvaroNeurosciences and History 2014;2(1):15-25
Type of article: ORIGINAL
AUTHOR
L.C. Álvaro
Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Basurto, Bilbao; Department of Neuroscience, UPV/EHU, Spain.
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objectives. Dr Axel Munthe specialised in what he called nervous diseases. Trained in prestigious settings in Paris, under Claude Bernard, Pasteur, and Charcot, he moved in intellectual circles (Henry James, Maupassant) and the highest levels of society. With his keen critical eye and boundless generosity toward the less fortunate, his character and doings exemplified model values that we should adopt in current practice. Our objective is to identify these values in his autobiography The Story of San Michele and analyse them alongside the neurological diseases he describes.
Results. We have identified facing reality and providing treatment (sedation) to patients facing imminent death; resilience; unlimited capacity for inspiring confidence and offering solace; simplicity and accessibility; disregard for material wealth; acceptance of homosexuality; and empathy for women. His curiosity and critical views led to friction and ruptures with his teachers, but his contributions in certain areas surpassed theirs. He did sterling work in hysteria, hypnosis (restricted to selected indications), general paresis, pain, signs of visual hallucinations, and alcoholism/substance abuse.
Conclusion. A distinguished figure in the medical and intellectual spheres, Munthe found that his critical eye and opposition to abuse of power by scientists created obstacles that he was nonetheless able to overcome. He demonstrated empathy for the marginalised people of his time. Munthe taught others to comfort and treat patients in the agony of death, was able to gain people’s trust, and valued his clinical work above material wealth. His values, applied to the doctor-patient relationship, are as relevant as ever.
KEYWORDS
Axel Munthe, neurology, disease, values
Neurosciences and History 2014;2(1):15-25
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