Journal of General Practice

The Names of Madness

Abstract

Wylie Jones Jordan

Roman physician Claudius Galen recognized two types of disabling mental illness, madness and melancholia. He believed these disorders were caused by humoral imbalance and often prescribed bleeding as a method of relieving the most severe symptoms. Many other methods of symptom control have been tried and the names have changed and multiplied, but the causes are no better known today than they were to Galen. 'Madness' (now several kinds of schizophrenia) is filed under international code #295 and 'mania' (an even greater number of named mood disorders) under #296. ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ Wm. Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)