Madness and society in eighteenth-century Scotland
By: R.A. Houston
Series: Oxford studies in social history
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 450
Subjects: Mental illness -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century; Mental illness -- Scotland -- Public opinion -- History -- 18th century; Social psychiatry -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Description: "Professor Houston draws upon a wide range of contemporary sources, notable asylum documents, and civil and criminal court records, to present unique insights into the issues around madness, including the law of mental incapacity, the written and spoken words of sufferers themselves, and the vocabulary associated with insanity. The links between madness and a range of other issues are explored, including gender, social status, religion and witchcraft, in addition to the attributed causes of derangement such as heredity and alcohol abuse."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index