The present epoch of pediatrics is characterized by ever-growing interest in the psychic life of the normal and the pathologic child. The pediatrician of today is not only the healer and the preventer of disease, but also a good advisor in the complex problems of the behavior, mental hygiene and education of the child. It is well known how often psychic disorders evoke bodily diseases and, on the other hand, how often somatic causes produce disturbances of the psychic life, especially in the growing organism. Furthermore, some psychopathies manifest themselves at a tender age, and their initial symptoms, early diagnosis and prophylaxis represent a most important problem for pediatric investigation. Pediatricians, therefore, have a vital interest in the psychology and psychopathology of childhood. They have contributed much to the scientific progress of these domains of science and participated in the creation of the contemporary scientific teaching of education.
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