Wernicke-Korsakoff encephalopathy

Wernicke described the clinical features of three patients, including two alcoholics, suffering from confusion, ataxia and ophthalmoplegia in whom pathologically he found 'polioencephalitis haemorrhagica superioris'. Korsakoff's doctoral thesis related similar findings but expanded the confabulation and amnesic elements, relating them to alcoholism. This paper, which summarises the salient aspects of the syndrome, discusses their work and shows important earlier descriptions by James Jackson, ( 1822) Samuel Wilks ( 1868) and Charles Gayet ( 1875). Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.