["Witzelsucht". On the introduction and meaning of the term by Hermann Oppenheim in 1890 and its distinction from "moria"]. / Die "Witzelsucht". Über die Einführung und die Bedeutung des Begriffs von Hermann Oppenheim im Jahr 1890 und seine Abgrenzung zur "Moria".

Hermann Oppenheim (1858-1919) was a German neurologist without an academic career, who in his productive period around 1900 made a name for himself during his lifetime as a major player in the history of German neurology with his many contributions to multiple sclerosis, syphilis and the controversial study of traumatic neurosis; however, it is almost unknown that in 1890 he introduced the term "witzelsucht", which is still used internationally today. Moritz Jastrowitz dealt with behavioral abnormalities due to frontal brain injuries 1 year earlier and used the term "moria" for a form of mental disorder associated with a kind of childish behavior and inappropriate jocularity. Oppenheim was critical of this and differentiated his "witzelsucht" from this. With this term he wanted to describe humoristic feeble-mindedness in a much narrower sense, which stands in striking contrast to the usual symptoms in cases of cerebral tumors. Oppenheim recognized the frontal brain, particularly the right brain, to be an important functional unit for humorous behavior. Modern research has confirmed that the processing of humor requires a complex interaction of multiple brain regions. Damage to the right frontal lobe or to connecting structures can lead to the disorder "witzelsucht". Whether a simultaneous damage to the left hemisphere must be present or if this is dependent on the individual dominant hemisphere, needs further research.

[The Therapy of Anxiety Disorders Around 1900. Hermann Oppenheim (1858-1919) and his Early Innovations]. / Die Therapie von Angststörungen um 1900. Hermann Oppenheim (1858­1919) und seine frühen Innovationen.

As a teacher and textbook author in psychiatry, Oppenheim initially received high national as well as international scientific recognition. In 1892, with his monograph on traumatic neurosis, which he regarded as the result of organic or molecular changes, his views became increasingly controversial and were met with rejection from the specialists of his time. mainly from German colleagues, probably not least because of his Jewish origin. Less historical attention, however, has been paid to Oppenheim's examination of the phenomenon of anxiety, which at his time was still a poorly elaborated pathological disorder. In his work, Oppenheim considered anxiety disorders to be an etiologically multifactorial disease and a syndrome in their own right. Oppenheim not only oriented himself towards common treatment methods such as dietetics or psychoanalysis but also considered the patient with his multi-dimensional problems as an individual deserving respect. What was more, he also applied self-developed psychotherapeutic treatment methods that show similarities with cognitive behavioral therapy that is predominantly used for anxiety disorders today. Oppenheim's work on anxiety disorders can be considered as highly innovative for his time.