Arc de cercle

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The arc de cercle (French: circular arc ) or large arch is a phenomenon described by Jean Martin Charcot (1825–1893), which occurs in connection with the great hysterical attack ( hysteria grande ). The body is hyperextended backwards like a circular arc. The head is placed on the neck and pressed onto the surface, while the back is raised by the hyperextension.

Hysteria was an important research topic for Charcot. With the help of hypnosis , he demonstrated the great hysterical attack in the 1880s, which he divided into 4 different phases:

  1. epileptoid phase, with symptoms similar to epilepsy
  2. Phase of great movement, for example Arc de cercle or great greeting movement
  3. Phase of passionate movement ( attaques ) in which violent, often sexual expressions of feeling are expressed in vocalizations and gestures
  4. terminal delirium ( délire ), an exhausted absence

Even during Charcot's lifetime there were many critics who viewed the great hysterical attack as a phenomenon brought about by the investigator. Nevertheless, it seems that the disease was relatively common in the late 19th century. Sigmund Freud introduced the concept of conversion neurosis as an explanatory model for such attacks . In modern psychiatry, one speaks of psychogenic seizures in the context of a dissociative disorder . The pronounced variant of Charcot is very rare nowadays, but one sees rather "small", psychomotor attacks or twilight states ( absences ), which are associated with paresthesia, tic-like movement disorders and various physical functional disorders.

literature

  • Brigitte Vetter: Psychiatry. A systematic textbook . 7th revised and updated edition. Schattauer Verlag, Stuttgart et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-7945-2566-9 .
  • Heinz Schott , Rainer Tölle : History of Psychiatry. Disease teachings, wrong turns, forms of treatment . CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-406-53555-0 .
  • Christian Kell, Rainer Kirchhefer, Rita Voss: Neurology, Psychiatry. Pathology for physiotherapists and masseurs . 2nd completely revised, structured and expanded edition. Elsevier et al., Munich et al. 2005, ISBN 3-437-45821-3 , ( yellow series ).
  • Uwe Henrik Peters : Lexicon of psychiatry, psychotherapy, medical psychology. With an English-German dictionary as an attachment . 6th completely revised and expanded edition. Elsevier et al., Munich et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-437-15061-6 .