Aims: A translation into English of the case history section of Carl Wernicke's original manuscript of 1881, with a discussion on its relevance for clinicians today.
Methods: A copy of Carl Wernicke's original German text was obtained by one of the authors (CCHC) and translated into English from the old German by a professional translator.
Results: The translation was subsequently agreed by native German speaking referees, and minor changes made.
Conclusions: The authors studied the translation in detail and concluded that Wernicke's description had stood the test of time. The diagnosis of Wernicke's Encephalopathy remains a clinical one.