Friedrich Groos (23 April 1768 – 15 June 1852) was a German physician and

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

born in Karlsruhe. Initially a student of law in Tübingen and

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, his interest later turned to medicine. From 1792 studied medicine in

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and Pavia, and following graduation became city physician () in Karlsruhe. From 1805 to 1813 he worked as a doctor in several locations, and in 1814 became a senior physician at the asylum and ''Siechenanstalt'' in Pforzheim. With the 1826 relocation of the Pforzheim mental asylum to Heidelberg, he moved to the latter city, where he also gave lectures in psychiatry at the university. Groos was the author of works in several subjects, such as

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

forensic medicine Forensic medicine is a broad term used to describe a group of medical specialties which deal with the examination and diagnosis of individuals who have been injured by or who have died because of external or unnatural causes such as poisoning, assa ...

, psychiatry, et al. During a period of severe illness, he became deeply interested in Stoic philosophy. As a psychiatrist he believed that

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

was due to spiritual as well as mental causes.

Written works

* ''Betrachtungen über die moralische Freiheit und Unsterblichkeit'', 1818 - Reflections on moral freedom and immortality. * ''Über das homöopathische Heilprincip. Ein kritisches Wort'', 1825 - On the homeopathic health principle; a critical word. * ''Untersuchungen über die moralischen und organischen Bedingungen des Irreseyns und der Lasterhaftigkeit'', 1826 - Studies on the moral and organic conditions of insanity and depravity. * ''Entwurf einer philosophischen Grundlage für die Lehre von den Geisteskrankheiten'', 1828 - Philosophical basis for the doctrine of mental illness. * ''Ideen zur Begründung eines obersten Princips für die psychische Legalmedicin'', 1829 - Ideas for the creation of a supreme principle for forensic psychiatry. * ''Die Schellingsche Gottes- und Freiheitslehre vor den Richterstuhl der gesunden Vernunft gefordert'', 1829 - Schelling's God and doctrine of freedom before the tribunal of common sense. * ''Der Weg durch den Vorhof der politischen Freiheit zum Tempel der moralischen Freiheit'', 1849 - The path through the atrium of political freedom to the temple of moral freedom.

References

* "Article based on translated text from an equivalent article at the

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; sources listed as: *
ADB:Groos, Friedrich
@

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*
Groos, Friedrich
@ Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 7, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1966. {{DEFAULTSORT:Groos, Friedrich German psychiatrists 18th-century German physicians Physicians from Karlsruhe Academic staff of Heidelberg University 1768 births 1852 deaths 19th-century German philosophers German male writers