How Familiar Are You with These Common Medical Conditions?
1. Which type of dementia was named after the German neurologist and psychiatrist who discovered the initial case of the ailment in 1901?
Correct Incorrect Alois Alzheimer encountered a woman named Auguste Deter while working at the Frankfurt Asylum in 1901. This 51-year-old patient exhibited unusual behavioral symptoms, including disorientation, short-term memory loss, and difficulties with reading and writing. Over time, these symptoms worsened, eventually leading to a loss of higher mental functions and hallucinations. Following the patient's demise, Alzheimer examined her brain and observed neurofibrillary tangles along with a thinning of the cerebral cortex. He presented his findings at a 1906 conference for German psychiatrists, describing the illness as "a peculiar disease of the cerebral cortex." It wasn't until 1910 that fellow psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin characterized the condition as a distinctive disease and suggested naming it after Alzheimer. Some well-known individuals who battled this illness include Ronald Reagan, Rita Hayworth, Charlton Heston, and Terry Pratchett.