Looking at the Roots of Psychosomatic Medicine: Adolf Meyer

BackgroundAdolf Meyer, the first Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, and Chief of the Phipps Clinic, brought a bevy of new ideas to clinical practice and to medical education. He used the word “psychobiology,” which helped to establish psychosomatic medicine and formed the basis for Engel's “biopsychosocial” concept.ObjectiveThis paper aims to review the contributions of Adolf Meyer, who proposed that in studying patients, it was impossible to consider the mind and body separately.ResultsAdolf Meyer, through his insight and tenacity, promoted the integration of psychiatry and medicine in medical education and practice.ConclusionBy taking a closer look at the role of Meyer's work in relation to today's psychosomatic medicine, current challenges do not appear to be dramatically different from the issues faced a century ago.