The cat's meow

Damien Ihrig, MA, MLIS
Curator, John Martin Rare Book Room

Welcome to January, friends. As you sit in front of your full-spectrum light, sipping hot cocoa, you no doubt begin to make note of the overlap between psychiatry and the world of cats. And the biggest name to come out of this thinnest of Venn diagrams is Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813).

Reil, seen here auditioning for the role of Dracula, was an 18th-century medical multihyphenate: physician-anatomist-physiologist. He was also the first true psychiatrist by virtue of coining the term "psychiatry" (or "psychiatrie" in German). His contributions to anatomy include the first description of the arcuate fasciculus in 1809 and the identification of anatomical features such as Reil's finger (later known as Raynaud syndrome) and the Islands of Reil in the cerebral cortex.

Reil's philosophical perspective on mental illness evolved in the context of the Romantic movement, blending scientific inquiry with a deeper appreciation of life's poetic and tragic aspects. In 1803, Reil published Rhapsodieen über die Anwendung der psychischen Kurmethode auf Geisteszerrüttungen [Rhapsodies on the Application of Psychological Methods of Cure to the Mentally Disturbed], a seminal work that significantly influenced German psychiatry before Sigmund Freud. Not a one-hit wonder, Reil was also an active editor and orchestrated several medical journals, including two devoted to psychiatry.

Rhapsodieen is characterized by its rich metaphors and ironic tone, which stood apart from typical medical treatises of the time. In it, he proposed indirect psychological methods to treat mental illness, emphasizing the role of social conditions and the harmony of the mind's functions. Reil often proposed ways to shock the system for patients with dissociative-type or catatonic disorders. His hypothesis was that the shock would jolt the patient and bring them back to conscious awareness.

One such method he suggested was the use of the katzenclavier, or cat piano (see illustration above). The idea of the cat piano predates Reil by several centuries, but it is a fairly simple, if horrific, concept. It consists of several boxes in a row, each with a small hole in the back. Kittens are placed in the boxes, one each, in order of the key of their yowl. A small keyboard connected behind the boxes allows the player to push on the keys, which in turn lowers a small rod with a nail sticking out of it. The nail hits a kitten's tail, producing the requisite yowl.

I cannot stress this enough—there is no evidence a cat piano (or cat organ as it is also called) was ever built. Thankfully. But such a fanciful idea appealed to Reil's romantic sensibilities and theories of psychological shock.

This month, we highlight the 1818 second edition of Rhapsodieen über die Anwendung der psychischen Kurmethode auf Geisteszerrüttungen. Read below right meow to learn more about Reil, his psychological theories, and our copy of Rhapsodieen.

Stay warm and happy reading!

Hours

The JMRBR is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and by appointment on Friday. For more information, please contact me at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154.

Book of the month

REIL, JOHANN CHRISTIAN (1759-1813). Rhapsodieen über die Anwendung der psychischen Kurmethode auf Geisteszerrüttungen [Rhapsodies on the Application of Psychological Methods of Cure to the Mentally Disturbed]. Printed in Halle: In der Curtschen Buchhandlun, 1818. 23 cm tall.

Born in East Friesland, Reil began his university studies at Göttingen in 1779 but soon transferred to Halle, where he was influenced by the anatomist Philipp Friedrich Meckel and became close friends with Johann Friedrich Goldhagen. After earning his medical degree in 1782, Reil continued his studies in Berlin, where he engaged with the intellectual circles of Marcus Herz and the critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant.

Reil's career flourished upon his return to Halle in 1787, where he quickly rose to become the director of the clinical institute and chief physician of the city. His medical practice attracted many prominent patients, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and his innovative ideas began to take shape.

Reil's theories on mental illness and treatments evolved over time. He wrote several volumes on fevers influenced by Kant and others. This included his theories on the connection between fevers and mental illness. Eventually, he would be swayed by the German romantic movement of the time and his theories became more fanciful, with treatments to match.

First published in 1803, Rhapsodieen is one of the earliest systematic works on psychotherapy. In it, Reil sets forth principles and different techniques of therapy. Although he did not formulate a comprehensive theory of personality, he recognized the necessity of understanding the healthy personality before the pathological 

personality could be understood. He believed that mental illness is a psychological phenomenon that requires psychological methods of treatment and was convinced of the close relationship between mind and body.

Even though he espoused many enlightened views, including advocating for improving the horrific conditions of patients who resided in asylums, his therapeutic procedures included throwing patients into water and firing cannons to return them to rationality. And, of course, cat pianos. Considered crude by today's standards, his psychotherapeutic methods were nevertheless the result of his deep knowledge of medicine and clinical psychiatry.

His work is considered by some to represent the beginnings of modern psychotherapy, although he is often eclipsed by Pinel and his Traité médico-philosophique sur l'aliénation mentale; ou la manie [Medical-philosophical treatise on insanity, or mania], considered a more practical work. Reil and Pinel developed a healthy rivalry that helped inform both of their practices.

Our copy of Rhapsodieen is in decent condition. The cover has marbled paper over thin boards and shows quite a bit of wear and tear. The boards appear to be meant as a temporary cover, so that is not surprising. The paper is in pretty good shape, with mostly minor discolorations throughout. Interestingly, some of the gatherings are "unopened," so the tops of the pages are still connected. Many of the pages also still have deckled edges, giving a rough and ready look.

Contact me to take a look at this book or any others from this or past newsletters: damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154.