Eugen Bleuler's Place in the History of Psychiatry
Like the guildsmen of old, 19th century Alienists (now psychiatrists) also realized that a pantheon of proceres would be useful to their trade and social standing: by the 1850s, national pantheons had already been constituted and by the early 20th century, a well-populated international Valhalla was in existence. Ever since it has been required that the anniversaries of the pantheonized be dutifully posted (In relation to Bleuler’s anniversaries, see, for example, the note by Fusar-Poli and Politi1 posted in the American Journal of Psychiatry.).This notwithstanding, the rules for pantheonization remain unclear and their enactors shadowy. To do justice to Eugen Bleuler’s place in the pantheon of psychiatry, this obscurity needs some illumination.