Madness in America: Cultural and Medical Perceptions of Mental Illness Before 1914 (Cornell Studies in the History of Psychiatry)
Tomes (history, Univ. of Stony Brook N.Y.) and Gamwell, director of the Binghamton University Art Museum, have brought into print their 1994 exhibition at the New York Academy of Sciences depicting the treatment of mental illness in the United States from Colonial times to World War I. Contemporary accounts by patients, medical practitioners, artists, and writers are juxtaposed with engravings, artwork, and photographs that illustrate changes through time in the diagnosis and treatment of the insane. Differing causes and cures determined according to race, class, and gender are explored in historical context. Scientific and alternative treatments are described, including hydrotherapy, patent medicines, mesmerism, rest, and talking cures. This volume, its lucid text supplemented by an impressive array of illustrations, provides an important introduction to a timely subject. Recommended for all collections covering psychology, medicine, or American history.?Lucille Boone, San Jose P.L., Cal.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.