[The history of electroconvulsive therapy in the Netherlands].

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has a tumultuous history in the Netherlands. It was found to have particularly favorable results in patients with severe depression or catatonia. Inconvenient side effects such as fractures, muscle tears and memory loss, however, became apparent.

[To act or not to act? Developments in prenatal and postnatal care for children with spina bifida aperta].

To act or not to act? Developments in prenatal and postnatal care for children with spina bifida aperta Until the middle of the twentieth century, newborns with spina bifida aperta had low chances of survival. Advances in the treatment of hydrocephalus, among other conditions, led to increased chances of survival during the 1960s. This also revealed the downsides of the treatment of spina bifida patients since some considered the quality of life of a number of these patients to be unacceptable.