The neuroserologist Felix Plaut (1877-1940) and general paralysis of the insane in Kraepelin’s Munich

M. Marco Igual
Neurosciences and History 2024;12(4):224-239

Type of article: ORIGINAL

AUTHOR

M. Marco Igual
Neurology Department. Hospital Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain.
This study was partially presented at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Neurology, held in Valencia from 19 to 23 November 2024.

https://nah.sen.es/administrator/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=edit#wf-editor-wysiwyg

ABSTRACT

Felix Plaut was one of the most distinguished German neuroscientists of the first half of the 20th century. As a specialist in serology, he made important advances in the field of neuroimmunology: based on positive Wassermann reaction findings in the cerebrospinal fluid, he discovered that general paralysis of the insane was a form of neurosyphilis; he also demonstrated the autochthonous production of antibodies in the central nervous system. His scientific research focused on the understanding of general paralysis of the insane, exploring pathophysiological, immunological, epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects. Regarding the latter point, he pioneered the use of Borrelia to induce relapsing fever as a treatment for general paralysis of the insane. In the clinical sphere, he discovered the form of syphilitic psychosis that bears his name, Plaut hallucinosis. Plaut was a member of the psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin’s inner circle in many of the latter’s initiatives in Munich, working as a scientific assistant at the university Psychiatric Clinic, directing the laboratory of serology at the German Institute for Psychiatric Research, and even accompanying Kraepelin on a research trip to the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. Plaut produced important scientific publications, particularly in the field of neurosyphilis. He was persecuted by the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage, and took exile in England, where he killed himself in 1940.

KEYWORDS

Felix Plaut, Emil Kraepelin, syphilis, general paralysis of the insane, University of Munich Psychiatric Clinic, German Institute for Psychiatric Research.

Neurosciences and History 2024;12(4): 224-239