Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder was first codified in the DSM-III in 1980 [1]. The earliest medical reports of persistent arousal (tachycardia) following stress came with the American Civil War (1861–1865), and were termed ‘Da Costa's Heart’.
The earliest reports of the re-experiencing of traumatic events are predominantly located in the 20th century. The DSM-IV states that re-experiencing may take the form or ‘intense psychological distress at exposure to…external cues that symbolize or resemble…the traumatic event’ [2, p. 424].
Two proverbs relating to the trauma of snake bite may be relevant:
‘Having been bitten by a snake, he is scared of a rope on the ground.’ This is found among Afghan, Arabian, Iranian and Chinese proverbs.
‘He who is bitten by a snake fears a lizard.’ This is a Chinese proverb.
Proverbs are impossible to date, but generally have long histories. It is proposed these two are examples of re-experiencing stress. As such, they suggest re-experiencing was known (in the East, at least), prior to the 20th century.