Beyond Conceptual History: Emil Kraepelin’s, Karl Jaspers’ and Arthur Kronfeld’s Views on Psychiatry May Not Only Inform But Also Guide Our Present-Day Debate

Abstract Of the pioneering psychiatric authors of the twentieth century presented here, Emil Kraepelin and Karl Jaspers are still very well known today, while Arthur Kronfeld’s work has been almost completely forgotten. These authors have dealt intensively, albeit from different perspectives and with different results with the question of how the term ‘mental illness’ can be defined and made scientifically accessible. Their approaches are elucidated and examined to determine whether and in what form they can be used to further our understanding of the scientific and clinical identity of psychiatry in the twenty-first century. I conclude that a careful reception of ‘classic’ texts not only informs us about the history of ideas in psychiatry but can also provide fruitful impetus for today’s debate.