How did Johann Christian Reil feel the insular cortex? Gemeingefühl as a seat of mind.

Abstract

Johann Christian Reil was the first to coin the term "psychiatry" in 1808, prior to that he had proposed Gemeingefühl (coenaesthesis), which is interpreted as referring to the integrated information of all senses and emotions. On the other hand, in 1809, Reil formally described the insular cortex as die Insel and considered the insular cortex to serve as the pedestal of mental activity. The background to Reil's research had been the social, religious, cultural, and political context of social upheaval in Europe at the time, particularly in Germany and France, which had a major impact on the academic and medical systems he advocated. For over 200 years, the relationship between Gemeingefühl and the insular cortex has remained a mystery. However, recent neuroimaging studies are beginning to shed light on the function of the insular cortex. This article provides an overview of Reil's life as reported to date and summarizes Reil's achievements in medicine from the perspectives of physiology, neuroanatomy, and psychiatry. Furthermore, we interpreted the Gemeingefühl as proposed by Reil in relation to gemeinsinn (sensus communis) and common sense, and provide a perspective on the role of the insular cortex as a seat of the mind, society and culture.