Institutionalizing the Insane in Nineteenth-Century England (Studies for the Society for the Social History of Medicine)

The nineteenth century brought an increased awareness of mental disorder, epitomized in the Asylum Acts of 1808 and 1845. Shepherd looks at two very different institutions to provide a nuanced account of the nineteenth-century mental health system. The nineteenth century brought an increased awareness of mental disorder, epitomized in the Asylum Acts of 1808 and 1845. The desire to contain or cure the afflicted led to an unprecedented growth of asylums across England and Wales. Shepherd compares and contrasts two very different institutions to provide a nuanced account of the nineteenth-century mental health system. In doing so she explores issues including the patient population, staff, treatments and therapeutic outcomes, incorporating an interrogation of the accepted roles of class and gender. Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 List of Figures and Tables 12 Introduction 14 1. Caring for Surrey’s Insane 26 2. Therapeutic Agents 54 3. Origins and Journeys 80 4. ‘Hurry, Worry, Annoyance and Needless Trouble’ 104 5. The Taxonomy and Treatment of Insanity 128 6. Suicide, Self-Harm and Madness in the Asylum 158 Conclusion 182 Notes 190 Works Cited 222 Index 234