title: An element of thought: phosphorus and mental philosophy in the nineteenth century.
abstract: Georges Cabanis (1757-1808), through his writings on the relation of the physical and moral, or psychological, aspects of man, left a legacy that made the study of mental activity a part of physiology. His views on the importance of phosphorus to the function of the brain thrust that element into a prominent stream of research that involved many investigators in several countries. Although that particular stream eventually dried up, its influence remained: by the beginning of the twentieth century basic medical science had become well set on studies of the mind-body relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Sourkes
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D010686:Philosophy, Medical / Q000266:history*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000266:history*; D010827:Physiology / Q000266:history*; D011584:Psychology / Q000266:history*; D011611:Psychosomatic Medicine / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus