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A second edition of the original German publication, these are lectures delivered by Brun about ten years ago for physicians and students. He attempts to formulate a theory of the neuroses from the psychological and physiological aspects, feeling that a 'synthetic representation under both points of view has hitherto been lacking'.
Considerable space is devoted to a detailed critical exposition of the various existing theories of neuroses and concepts of the physiology and pathology of the midbrain with special stress on the researches of W. R. Hess and others. This attempt to reconcile so many divergent schools makes the book a little cumbersome, thereby detracting from some of its value.
Neuroses are classified into (a) Organic Hormopathies, and (b) Functional Hormopathies. Brun believes that in the functional organic neuroses (neurasthenia, anxiety neurosis, and fright neurosis) the 'primary pathological motive is to be sought not within the psyche but in the vegetative cerebral centers though not in the shape of the structural lesions, but merely in the form of changes of the excitation potential and the distribution of stimuli within this apparatus'. While it may be conceded that in a limited number of cases structural changes within the hypothalamus, midbrain, or other cerebral centers may cause vegetative neurotic symptoms, the author seemingly disregards the fact that vegetative symptoms in neuroses are essentially responses to unconscious instinctual conflicts. Only in the psychoneurosis or conversion neurosis, which Brun compares to the transference neurosis, does he find the primary affective disorders to be the result of unconscious instinctual conflicts.
The excellent historical review of the theory of the neuroses covers several chapters. Being a devoted pupil of the distinguished neurologist, Von Monakow, he allocates twenty-two pages to Von Monakow's 'plexus theory' and the influence of the internal secretions on the 'actual neuroses' (neurastheni