Hydrencephalomeningocele
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This article from the 1928-1936 Soviet Great Medical Encyclopedia describes hydrencephalomeningocele as a type of cerebral hernia involving brain tissue and meninges filled with fluid, and also defines hierophobia as a pathological fear of religious objects or figures.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
HYDRENCEPHALOMENINGOCELE (synonyms: encephalomeningocele, encephalocystomeningocele, hydrencephalocele), a type of cerebral hernia (see), in which the hernial sac consists of brain tissue and the pia mater (the dura mater is absent), abundantly soaked with fluid, and skin. It is classified among developmental defects. HIEROPHOBIA, hierophobia (from the Greek hieros - holy, sacred, and phobos - fear), pathological fear of encountering objects or representatives of religious cults (priests, religious processions, etc.), arising from the notion, characteristic of the archaic-primitive type of thinking, that such an encounter portends misfortune.
The anxious anticipation that arises after such encounters, even in quite normal but superstitious and uncultured individuals, reaches such a degree in pathological cases that it becomes almost intolerable and requires a special ritual for its resolution.
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Cite this page
“Hydrencephalomeningocele.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/hydrencephalomeningocele/