Boss J M
Psychol Med. 1979 May;9(2):221-34. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700030725.
Before 1600 the 'hysteric affection' was a paroxysmal ailment of women explained as primarily due to the condition or malposition of the womb. During the seventeenth century attention shifted from the womb to the brain. Then Thomas Sydenham's clinical method yielded a view of hysteria which comprehended a wide range of illness with a mental component, and which was related to the whole person. In the course of this paper the relation of the hysteric affection to witchcraft, demonic possession, St Vitus' dance (chorea), hypochondria and melancholy is also noted.
1600年以前，“癔症”是女性的一种阵发性疾病，主要被解释为是由子宫状况或位置异常所致。在17世纪，关注点从子宫转移到了大脑。随后，托马斯·西德纳姆的临床方法产生了一种对癔症的看法，这种看法涵盖了广泛的具有精神成分的疾病，并且与整个人相关。在本文中，还提到了癔症与巫术、被恶魔附身、圣维特斯舞蹈病（舞蹈症）、疑病症和忧郁症的关系。
