In regards to mental illness, Meynert conceptualized that a conflict existed between the cerebral cortex and the sub-cortical regions as the primary cause for abnormal function of cerebral components. Also he formulated that a causal connection existed between cerebral pathologies and psychoses due to a lack of "cerebral nutrition" related to vasomotor functionality. Meynert's aim was to establish psychiatry as an exact science based on anatomy. In his 1884 textbook "Psychiatrie. Klinik der Erkrankungen des Vorderhirns", Meynert forewords with the statement:"The reader will find no other definition of 'Psychiatry' in this book but the one given on the title page: Clinical Treatise on Diseases of the Forebrain. The historical term for psychiatry, i.e., 'treatment of the soul,' implies more than we can accomplish, and transcends the bounds of accurate scientific investigation."