Vagotonia; a clinical study in vegetative neurology / by Hans Eppinger and Leo Hess. Authorized translation by Walter Max Kraus and Smith Ely Jelliffe.

  • Eppinger, Hans, 1846-1916.
Date:
1917
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Vagotonia; a clinical study in vegetative neurology / by Hans Eppinger and Leo Hess. Authorized translation by Walter Max Kraus and Smith Ely Jelliffe. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and form a class which is predisposed to the most varied kinds of diseases. 4. Such manifestations of increased vagal tone may show in the entire system or its ramifications, or in a single branch gen- eral or local vagotonia. We shall now proceed to the consideration of these constitu- tional anomalies. 6. CLINICAL PICTURE OF GENERAL VacorTonta!? We have been able to separate from the mass of nervous diseases, which have hitherto been grouped under the names of neurasthenia, hysteria and nervousness, a symptom-complex, a disease picture which we have designated the neurosis, ‘‘vago- tonia.”’ ‘This we regard as a functional, autonomic system disease, for the reason that all its symptoms may be identified with those of a state of stimulation of the extended vagus [autonomic ner- vous system]. As the basis of this there must exist a vagotonic disposition in the patient, that is, an abnormal irritability of all or only a few autonomic nerves, which, under the influence of some adequate stimulus, a stimulus which may be less than that which would affect a normal autonomic system, may lead to the develop- ment of the symptom-complex vagotonia. Furthermore, if we consider all the symptoms which are united in one disease in a given patient, as, for example, in nervous dys- pepsia, gastric ulcer, cardiac neuroses, or Basedow’s disease, we are struck by the daily finding that never, in any given case, do all of the symptoms of the disease appear, but that, apparently for no reason, we find sometimes this, sometimes that symptom standing out more prominently. We shall show, by means of well-known diseases, that the common bond between the ap- parently unrelated symptoms is the predisposition to vagotonia which is responsible for the ready activity and increased tone of the autonomic nerves. The disease itself as an etiological factor is to be contrasted with the constitutional predisposition, which in this particular case is the predisposition to vagotonia which implies an exceptionally ready irritability in the autonomic ner- vous system. On this account vagotonic individuals will in the 19 The attempt to present our views in the form of a small monograph does not permit us to introduce many detailed histories. Furthermore it has not heen possible to include all of the pertinent literature.