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V. A. Kral, the Montreal Hebrew Old People's Home, and benign senescent forgetfulness

Margoletz Psychogeriatric Center, Ichilov Hospital, 6 Weizman Street, Tel-Aviv, 64239, Israel; heinik{at}post.tau.ac.il

The term Benign Senescent Forgetfulness, introduced in 1958 by V. A. Kral, constitutes the origin of the concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a widely studied but controversial entity. The ambiguities surrounding MCI warrant a re-assessment of its historical origin. Any attempt at an in-depth investigation of Kral's works on that subject should begin with a description of the patient population and professional arena in the Montreal Hebrew Old People's and Sheltering Home, where Kral was a consultant. Based on archival and published sources, I describe the Home's facilities, population, staff and programmes/services, followed by an overview of the dynamic factors inducing a re-examination of its mode of operation in the mid-1950s when Kral joined the Home's professional staff as a consultant.

Key Words: Benign Senescent Forgetfulness • Canada • Mild Cognitive Impairment • Montreal Hebrew Old People's and Sheltering Home • V. A. Kral

History of Psychiatry, Vol. 17, No. 3, 313-332 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0957154X06061600


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