Electro-Encephalography

Abstract

The history of electro-encephalography contains both triumphs and disappointments. The most profound of the disappointments is the relative failure to elucidate any of the important problems which concern the psychiatrist. It was hoped that some real electro-physiological alteration would be seen in patients whose mental condition suggested something bordering on the organic, but the negative findings even in the most profound mental disorders are almost as striking as if they were positive. Before considering the published work it would be well to review in a few words the nature and significance of electro-encephalographic records.