Up to 1890, Wagner-Juaregg had their practical one thing titled tuberculin, a therapeutic procedures developed by the fresh new German microbiologist Robert Koch from inside the acquisition to deal with tuberculosis. Tuberculin perform afterwards turn into entirely ineffective for the treatment of tuberculosis, commonly undertaking severe resistant solutions for the people – however for a short time, Wagner-Juaregg got particular victory in using tuberculin to assist their alzhiemer’s disease patients. Giving their patients tuberculin contributed to a high temperature – and you can immediately following finishing the treatment, Wagner-Jauregg stated that their patient’s alzhiemer’s disease is completely stopped. The newest victory was short-stayed, however: Wagner-Juaregg in the course of time must stop tuberculin due to the fact a pills, as it grew to become thought too harmful.
From the 1917, Wagner-Juaregg’s concept regarding syphilis and you can fevers was becoming more reputable – and one date a separate chance demonstrated itself whenever an injured soldier, afflicted that have malaria and you will a related fever, is affect admitted to help you his psychiatric tool.
It’s unclear how well the fresh new malaria treatment worked for people around three specific people – however, Wagner-Juaregg’s information reveal that throughout the span of one year, he inoculated a maximum of 9 customers with malaria, towards the only aim of inducing fevers, and you may half a dozen ones generated a complete recovery
What Wagner-Juaregg did next are fairly deplorable by the one fundamental: Just before he acceptance this new soldier any quinine (the quality treatment for malaria at that time), Wagner-Juaregg took a small take to of your own soldier’s bloodstream and you may inoculated around three syphilis clients into sample, friction the latest bloodstream to their unlock syphilitic sore spots.
Wagner-Juaregg’s procedures is actually so effective, indeed, this one out-of their inoculated customers, an actor who was simply incapable of functions on account of their alzhiemer’s disease, try ultimately able to find really works once more and you may return to the fresh new stage
A couple most customers – a military officer and you may a clerk – recovered using their immediately following-terminal afflictions and gone back to its previous jobs as well.
Whenever their results were composed from inside the 1918, Wagner-Juaregg’s so-titled “fever treatment” swept the world. The therapy is hailed as a development – nevertheless still had risks. Malaria by itself had a mortality rate of around 15 percent within committed. A lot of people considered that to-be a gamble worthy of getting, as compared to perishing a challenging, drawn-out passing out-of syphilis.
Malaria is also effectively handled most of the time having quinine, while most other fever-leading to ailments weren’t thus without difficulty addressed. Leading to a fever using malaria particularly, hence, turned the caliber of worry.
Lots and lots of those with syphilitic dementia create go on are addressed with fever cures before early 1940s, whenever a variety of Salvarsan and you can penicillin caused syphilis attacks so you can elizabeth rare, and nearly unusual.
Despite his efforts to treatments, it is critical to keep in mind that Wagner-Juaregg is actually certainly perhaps not someone to idolize. Actually, he had been a blunt anti-Semite and you can proponent away 
from eugenics, arguing one Jews have been prone to mental disease and that individuals who was in fact emotionally unwell is going to be forcibly sterilized. (Wagner-Juaregg later turned a Nazi sympathizer throughout the Hitler’s increase so you’re able to electricity regardless of if, bizarrely, his first girlfriend was Jewish.) Various other tricky question try that their fever therapy inside experimental service into many exactly who, through its intellectual items, couldn’t offer told consent.
Diminished concur has also been a standard problem with the fresh syphilis analysis during the Tuskegee, appalling search you to first started simply fourteen decades just after Wagner-Juaregg penned their “fever treatment” conclusions.
Nevertheless, even with their extraordinary viewpoints, Wagner-Juaregg is actually issued the fresh Nobel Award from inside the Drug otherwise Physiology in the 1927 – and you will even with specific egregious peoples rights violations, the miracle “fever therapy” is partially guilty of taming one of several deadliest plagues in human history.
However, either these types of wild concepts reduced. Inside the 1883, through the their property, Wagner-Juaregg listed you to a woman patient having mental illness that has contracted a body infection and suffered a premier temperature educated an effective sudden (and you may apparently miracle) remission of their psychosis symptoms following fever had cleaned. Wagner-Juaregg theorized you to causing a top fever in the people having neurosyphilis may help him or her recover as well.