Caspar Max Brosius
Encyclopedia
Caspar Maximilian Brosius (12 June 1825 – 17 February 1910) was a German physician and psychiatrist
born in Burgsteinfurt
, Westphalia
.
Son of a parish doctor, Brosius studied medicine at the Universities of Greifswald and Bonn
, receiving his doctorate in 1848 with a dissertation titled De hebetudine animi (Über den Stumpfsinn der Seele). Following graduation he practiced medicine in Burgsteinfurt, and in 1855 started work as an assistant to Adolph Albrecht Erlenmeyer
(1822-1877) at the Asyl für Gehirn- und Nervenkranke in Bendorf bei Koblenz
.
In 1857 he established a private psychiatric hospital at his homestead in Bendorf
, where he created a humanitarian environment for the mentally ill based on a philosophy he called the familiare system (family system). In the following decades the facility underwent considerable expansion in size and function. At Bendorf he strove in providing living conditions for the mentally ill that were the equivalent to the those of the healthy, non-institutionalized public. He believed that his patients should have a place where they "felt at home", and deemed it necessary to assess and treat them on an individual basis.
In 1859 with Friedrich Koster (1822-1893) he was a contributing editor of the psychiatric journal Der Irrenfreund, being its sole editor from 1878. In 1860 he published a translation of John Conolly
's "Treatment of the insane without mechanical restraints" as Die Behandlung der Irren ohne mechanischen Zwang.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
born in Burgsteinfurt
Steinfurt
Steinfurt is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt.-Geography:Steinfurt is situated north-west of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name came into being in 1975 when the two – up to then independent – parts of the city – Borghorst and...
, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
.
Son of a parish doctor, Brosius studied medicine at the Universities of Greifswald and Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, receiving his doctorate in 1848 with a dissertation titled De hebetudine animi (Über den Stumpfsinn der Seele). Following graduation he practiced medicine in Burgsteinfurt, and in 1855 started work as an assistant to Adolph Albrecht Erlenmeyer
Adolph Albrecht Erlenmeyer
Adolph Albrecht Erlenmeyer was a German physician and psychiatrist born in Wiesbaden.He studied medicine in Marburg, Bonn and Berlin...
(1822-1877) at the Asyl für Gehirn- und Nervenkranke in Bendorf bei Koblenz
Bendorf
Bendorf is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 7 km north of Koblenz.-Structure of the city:The city has the following neighbourhoods:*Bendorf*Sayn*Mülhofen...
.
In 1857 he established a private psychiatric hospital at his homestead in Bendorf
Bendorf
Bendorf is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 7 km north of Koblenz.-Structure of the city:The city has the following neighbourhoods:*Bendorf*Sayn*Mülhofen...
, where he created a humanitarian environment for the mentally ill based on a philosophy he called the familiare system (family system). In the following decades the facility underwent considerable expansion in size and function. At Bendorf he strove in providing living conditions for the mentally ill that were the equivalent to the those of the healthy, non-institutionalized public. He believed that his patients should have a place where they "felt at home", and deemed it necessary to assess and treat them on an individual basis.
In 1859 with Friedrich Koster (1822-1893) he was a contributing editor of the psychiatric journal Der Irrenfreund, being its sole editor from 1878. In 1860 he published a translation of John Conolly
John Conolly
John Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
's "Treatment of the insane without mechanical restraints" as Die Behandlung der Irren ohne mechanischen Zwang.