Theodor Ziehen

Georg Theodor Ziehen (November 12, 1862 - 1950) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist. He studied medicine in Würzburg and Berlin, where he received his doctorate in 1885. Afterwards, he was an assistant to Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum at the mental hospital in Görlitz, and in 1887 an assistant to Otto Binswanger at the Psychiatric Clinic in Jena. Later, he was a professor of psychiatry in Utrecht (1900), Halle (1903} and Berlin (1904-1912). Beginning in 1917 he was a professor of philosophy at the University of Halle.

Ziehen published nearly 450 works on psychology, neurology, anatomy, et al. He was author of an important textbook "Die Geisteskrankheiten des Kindesalters" (Mental Diseases of Childhood), which was one of the first systematic works concerning child psychiatry in Germany. He also penned the textbook "Psychiatrie" which was published in four editions between 1894 and 1911. In his writings, Ziehen was the first to coin and describe the terms "affective psychosis" and "psychopathic constitution". Along with neurologist Hermann Oppenheim, the Ziehen-Oppenheim syndrome is named, which is a genetic torsion dystonia (spasms) due to a lesion of the basal ganglia.

In 1898 he published "Psychophysiologische Erkenntnistheorie" (Psychophysiological Theory of Knowledge), with psychology being the basis of his philosophic belief system. Ziehen was a practitioner of associative psychology, and from a philosophic standpoint advocated monistic positivism, or what he called the "principle of immanence". However, at the same time he opposed the philosophy of materialism.

Selected literary works

* "Sphygmographische Untersuchungen an Geisteskranken" (Sphygmographic Studies on Mental Health), Jena, 1887.
* "Psychiatrie". Berlin, 1894.
* "Psychophysiologische Erkenntnistheorie" (Psychophysiological Epistemology), Jena, 1898.
* "Leitfaden der physiologischen Psychologie" (Guide to Physiological Psychology), Jena, 1891
* "Das Centralnervensystem der Cetaceen" (The Central Nervous System of Cetaceans), 1892.
* "Psychiatrie für Ärzte und Studirende" (Psychiatry for Doctors and Students), 1894
* "Das Centralnervensystem der Monotremen und Marsupialier" (The Central Nervous System of Monotremes and Marsupials), 1897.
* "Anatomie des Centralnervensystems" (Central Anatomy of the Nervous System), In: Handbuch der Anatomie des Menschen, Jena, 1899
* "Über die allgemeinen Beziehungen zwischen Gehirn und Seelenleben" (Concerning the Overall Relations between the Brain and Soul), Leipzig, 1902.
* "Die Prinzipien und Methoden der Begabungs-, insbesondere der Intelligenzprüfung" (Principles and Methods of High-ability, in particular the Assessment of Intelligence), 1908; 5. Aufl., 1923.
* "Zum gegenwärtigen Stand der Erkenntnistheorie : zugleich Versuch einer Einteilung der Erkenntnistheorien" (The Present State of Epistemology: with an Attempt to Schedule Realization Theories) Wiesbaden: J. F. Bergmann, 1914.
* "Die Erkennung der psychopathischen Konstitutionen und die öffentliche Fürsorge für psychopatisch veranlagte Kinder" (Detection of Psychopathic Constitutions and Public Concern for Psychopathic-assessed Children), Jena, 1912; 3. Aufl., 1916.
* "Ärztliche Wünsche zur Fürsorgeerziehung" (Requests for Medical Care Education), Langensalza, 1913.
* "Die Grundlagen der Psychologie", (Foundations of psychology), Leipzig and Berlin, 1915.
* "Die Beziehungen der Lebenserscheinungen zum Bewußtsein" (The Relationship of Life to Awareness-Appearances) 1921
* "Grundlage der Naturphilosophie" (Basis of Natural Philosophy), 1922
* "Vorlesungen über Ästhetik" (Lectures on Aesthetics); ( (2 volumes), 1923 und 1925)
* "Die Geisteskrankheiten des Kindesalters einschließlich des Schwachsinns und der psychopathischen Konstitutionen" (Mental Illnesses of Childhood, including Psychopathic Constitutions) 2 parts, Berlin, 1915-1917; 2. Aufl., 1926.
* "Über das Wesen der Beanlagung und ihre methodische Erforschung" (Regarding the Nature of Beanlagung and their Methodical Exploration); Langensalza, 1918; 4. Aufl., 1929.
* "Das Seelenleben der Jugendlichen" (The "Soul Lives" of Young People); Langensalza, 1923; 4. Aufl., 1931.
* "Die Grundlagen der Charakterologie" (The Foundations of Character Studies); Langensalza, 1930.

References

* [http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/8/1369 American Journal of Psychiatry]