title: [The beginnings of modern biological psychiatry in Hungary: the atropine coma. A historical overview].
abstract: In the authors' opinion modern biological psychiatry in Hungary started with the investigations into the biological mechanism of atropine coma therapy. Atropine coma was used in the period between 1950 and 1975 mainly in the treatment of various psychoses and obsessive compulsive disorder. In a previous communication the method, indications and adverse effects of atropine coma were outlined and the professional and broader social reasons for its eventual disappearance were discussed. In this paper the therapeutic effectiveness and research into the biological mode of action of atropine coma are summarized. Although thousands of patients received atropine coma therapy in the United States and in several Central-Eastern European countries including Hungary, this therapeutic modality is hardly ever features even in papers on the history of psychiatry. This is all the more surprising because initial therapeutic results with atropine coma were favourable and it seemed to be a more safe and efficient treatment than the more widely used insulin coma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Gábor S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvári
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gazdag
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bitter
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerevich
mesh_terms: D001285:Atropine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003128:Coma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000266:history* / Q000378:metabolism; D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D001285:Atropine