Cortical localization and the nerve cell: Freud's work in Meynert's psychiatry clinic.

Abstract

Sigmund Freud's pioneering early work on individuated nerve cells, later termed "neurons," has long been recognized by the history of psychology. Yet, relatively little has been written about the influence of Freud's then mentor, Theodor Meynert, on Freud's 1884-1885 neuroanatomical research, or the monumental conceptual shift embodied in the project itself. Focusing on Freud's 1884 "Die Struktur der Elemente des Nervensytems" (The Structure of the Elements of the Nervous System) as his first true effort to describe individuated nerve cells, this article identifies Meynert as highly influential on Freud's turn to representative schema, further suggesting that Freud's brief foray in clinical neurology at Meynert's clinic aligns with Freud's move from the laboratory to the mind. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).