HEREDITY EN" PSYCHOSES 



G. P. FRETS 

 Rotterdam, Holland 



I should like to demonstrate the following case from my material. 



Chart 1, generation IV, individual 51, the probandus suffers from demen- 

 tia praecox. There are six brothers and sisters. TV. 45. a sister, was treated 

 in a hospital for mental diseases two or three times on account of mania. 

 IV.47, has the manic-depressive constitution. rV.49, a sister, suffered for 

 a year and a hah" from the manic-depressive psychosis, beginning with an 

 attack of mania which was succeeded by a long series of depression. TV. 53, 

 a brother, was treated for a short time for psychasthenia ; he is a paranoic 

 personality. r\*.55, a sister, suffers from schizophrenia, was repeatedly 

 admitted and is now for the sixth time in the psychiatric clinic. 



Of these six brothers and sisters there were, therefore, five who were psy- 

 chotic. Both manic-depressive psychosis and dementia praecox are pres- 

 ent. Neither is the psychosis in some of them pure, the dementia praecox 

 of the probandus has shown some periodicity; the schizophrenia of the sis- 

 ter was also diagnosed in the beginning as manic-depressive psvchosis. 

 One might speak of degenerative psychoses. 



The question is, what does heredity teach us for consideration of the psy- 

 chosis of the probandus. 



There is consanguinity in the family to begin with; both grandmothers 

 of the probandus were sisters. The father of the probandus suffered from 

 manic-depressive psychosis, passed a great part of his life in the mental 

 hospital and died there. The mother of the probandus was mentally nor- 

 mal. Of the brothers and sisters of the father, a sister, in. 49; suffered 

 from melancholia and committed suicide. A brother III. 46, was a some- 

 what peculiar personality, two other brothers III. 52 and III. 55, led an 

 irregular life and drank too much alcohol. In the father and the brothers 

 and sisters we find the manic-depressive psychosis and there are peculiar 

 characteristics. 



Of the brothers and sisters of the mother a brother IH. 35, suffered from 

 melancholia and seriously tried to commit suicide ; he died psychotic of fu- 

 runculosis with diabetes. Another brother IH . 32, suffered from severe neu- 

 rasthenia accompanied with obsessions. The youngest brother also suffered 

 from nervousness. 



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