[Demonology in old medical manuscripts]. / Démonologie ve starých lékarských spisech.

Demonology, i.e. the faith in the existence of mental diseases caused by demons was a medical problem from the 16th to the beginning of the 18th century. Two types of mental diseases were differentiated: those caused by natural causes and those caused by demonic obsession with attempts of clinical differentiation of the two groups. Among obsessions most frequently hallucinatory and hallucinotic mental diseases were included (in particular with demonic contents), mental disorders with a queer, unusual and antisocial behaviour, conditions of extreme unrest, vomiting of queer things, prediction of the future, "talking foreign languages" the subjects had not learned etc. The way to overcome demonological prejudices was an attempt to clear the obsessed of guilt, to prove that they are the victims of the devil whom they are unable to fight because of their impaired fantasy and because the devil is found of melancholic juice. Therefore gradually the idea was enforced that the obsessed should receive somatic treatment (in addition to magic and liturgical) which rids the obsessed of black bile. Demonology and witchcraft (which was revived during the renaissance along with demonology) are two different phenomena (witchcraft was a social phenomenon) which were frequently confounded or considered identical. This is why some mentally ill people were summoned in court and tried as sorcerers and witches.

[Mania and melancholia in the writings of Aretaeus]. / Mánie a melancholie ve spisech aretaeových.

In antique medicine mania and melancholia were diagnosed as impairment of sense and imagination. Aretaeus considered that the difference between them was that melancholia was "partial" insanity (anxiety of the soul caused by a single idea), while mania was insanity of the "whole soul". This concept led to extension of both terms, in particular melancholia which composed also paranoid and hallucinatory symptomatology. This concept persisted to the beginning of the 19th century.

[Clinical problems in postpartum psychoses]. / Klinická problematika poporodních psychóz.

The authors analyzed post-partum psychoses treated at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Faculty Hospital in 1985-1986. The group comprised 41 patients. Post-partum psychoses are not considered a separate nosological unit nor symptomatic mental disorders but are classified as endogenous psychoses, provoked by childbirth. As to endogenous psychoses, most frequently manic depression is involved, as suggested by the clinical picture and course. Schizophrenia is found less frequently, as compared with manic depression, the cca 1:10. In rare instances post-partum symptomatic psychosis may develop.

[Schizophrenia in childhood and adolescence]. / Schizofrenie v detském a dorostovém veku.

An analysis of 24 schizophrenic patients, treated at the psychiatric clinic in Plzen during the last 20 years with the onset of the disease in childhood or adolescence. Not a single case was observed with onset of the disease under the age of 10 years, at the age of 10-14 years six times, at the age of 15-18 years 18 times. In the group boys predominated insignificantly. In about one quarter of the patients the disease started as acute psychosis, most frequently with amentiform, less frequently with paranoid-hallucinatory or manioform symptomatology. With a slow onset of the disease in three quarters of the patients the symptomatology was paranoid or paranoid hallucinatory. After five years the majority of patients lived a civil life but only a small proportion was able to engage in unskilled working activity. After 10 years none of the patients were able to engage in any activity and 30% of the patients were hospitalized on a long-term basis in psychiatric institutes.

[Mental disorders in the writings of Hippocrates]. / Dusevní nemoci ve spisech Hippokratových.

Mental diseases are described in the work of Hippocrates as case-histories and as generalized descriptions of different diseases which are presented without classification. The term "mania" was conceived in a very broad sense. A mental disease was described called "frontis" (cura) which reminds of melancholy. The term phrenitis was conceived as acute mental disease associated with fever or with another disease, i.e. in the sense of a symptomatic psychosis in the present concept. Similarly, the term lethargus was conceived and characterized by enhanced sleepiness and irresistible desire to sleep. The school of Hippocrates described also other disorders which are now recognized as hysterical disorders of women and some phobias (e.g. of altitudes) which, however, were not yet recognized as such and were not given a name.

Urinary excretion of mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acids after human exposure to styrene vapour.

The kinetics of the urinary excretion of mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acids were studied in volunteers exposed to the known concentrations of styrene vapour. The level and the time of exposure were suitably changed to simulate situations in the industrial environment. The aim was to find out the reasons for the contradictory reports in the literature and to verify parameters characterizing the course of excretion of both metabolites. It was found that the course of mandelic acid excretion might be influenced by the length of styrene exposure. If exposure was longer than 4 hours the maximum of excretion was at the end of the exposure time; after short-term exposures (4 h or less) it was somewhat delayed. Maximum excretion of phenylglyoxylic acid was delayed both after short-term and 8-hour exposures. Excretion of the metabolites was diphasic (biexponential). The effective half-lives were found to be independent of the level of exposure. The apparent half-lives (determined in the post-exposure time of 0-16 hours) tended to become prolonged at daily repeated exposures. The ratio of mandelic to phenylglyoxylic acid changed considerably with the level of exposure. In biological monitoring it is advisable to determine both metabolites.

Biological monitoring of persons exposed to methanol vapours.

Five volunteers were exposed to constant and suitably graded concentrations of methanol vapours for a period of 8 h. The retention of methanol in the lungs and the course of its excretion in urine were monitored at single and at daily repeated exposures. From the concentration in inspired air, lung retention, minute lung ventilation and duration of exposure, the methanol dose retained in the organism of the experimental subjects was calculated. The dose correlated well with the methanol concentration (mmol/l or mg/l) in whole-shift urine; using other units (mg/l corr., mg/creat., mg/time) the correlation was unsatisfactory. An exposure test was proposed which permits the estimation of the retained methanol dose on the basis of an analysis of whole-shift urine. The test yields good results even if the subjects perform physical work and consequently have enhanced lung ventilation, or in cases where the air besides methanol contains vapours of other organic solvents (ethanol, acetone). The results may be burdened by a certain error if the methanol concentration in air fluctuates extremely, or if exposure is interrupted by breaks. Nonetheless even in such circumstances the test provides valuable information on the level of occupational exposure to methanol.