Abstract
THE Brain Injuries Committee of the Medical Research Council, in War Memorandum No. 4 (London: H.M. Stationery Office. Id. net), has compiled a short glossary of psychological terms commonly used in cases of head injuries. The object of the glossary is to secure a greater measure of uniformity in the terminology used in case-notes of patients with head injuries: There is always some difficulty in defining within fixed limits psychological terms, a difficulty that is increased by the fact that many of the terms are also used in popular speech with somewhat vague reference, for example, confusion, hysteria. When a patient suffering from a psychological derangement resulting from, or coincident with, head injury is referred by a physician to a special centre, it would be advantageous if the same meaning were attached to the same words. To further this aim sixteen words in common use have been defined. It is possible that another committee might have arrived at a slightly different phraseology, but although general acceptance cannot be expected, yet here is a very useful beginning, and the glossary will probably have a gradually widening sphere of application. Some of the terms denned are: coma, confusion, delirium, traumatic stupor, concussion, malingering, hysteria.
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Psychological Terms used in Head Injuries. Nature 147, 538–539 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147538c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147538c0