Search the Site

The Causes of Dementia, as of 1871

From A Treatise on Diseases of the Nervous System, by William A. Hammond (published 1871), here are some of the then-known causes of dementia:

Among the physical causes, drunkenness, the use of opium, and other narcotics, excessive veneral indulgence, masturbation, blows on the head, exposure to severe heat or cold, the puerperal state [being pregnant], and certain diseases may be referred to.

I came across this in Dying for a Hamburger, by Dr. Murray Waldman and Marjorie Lamb, which argues that Alzheimer’s is a new disease that may be triggered by eating red meat.


Comments