Abstract
Summary:
The early historical evolution of the concept of psychological trauma is relevant to the establishmentof PTSD as a syndrome. The authors conducted selective computerized and manual reviews ofthe literature concerning the history of trauma-related disorders. Exposure to overwhelming terrorcan lead to troubling memories, which has been a central theme in the literature since the time ofGilgamesh. Reexperiencing was well known and conversion reactions were described, but until the18th century chroniclers and philosophers essentially reported anecdotes. Nostalgia and traumaticneurosis were first identified during the American Civil War and after the first railway crashesin the 19th century. The isolated anecdote thus evolved into a clinical entity whose medical andpsychiatric complexity underwent large-scale development during and immediately after World WarI. An historical approach of traumatic disorders identification provides an integrated view of multiplepsychological symptoms, some included and others not included in current post-traumatic syndromes.
