Masters of Bedlam: The Transformation of the Mad-Doctoring Trade

Description

Through an examination of the fascinating lives and careers of a series of nineteenth-century "mad-doctors," Masters of Bedlam provides a unique perspective on the creation of the modern profession of psychiatry, taking us from the secret and shady practices of the trade in lunacy, through the utopian expectations that were aroused by the lunacy re

"This book is a triumph of biography, written by three accomplished historians of psychiatry. Individual chapters represent insightful and elegantly presented accounts of prominent alienists, based on meticulous research, judiciously chosen quotations, and an attention to detail and context."--David Wright, The Times Literary Supplement "This admirably well-researched and well-planned book details [historical] changes with great clarity. The book's mixture of biography and history, a pleasing combination, allows us to follow the contours of culture, ideas and social structure as the century develops and to see where twentieth-century attitudes originated."--John Clay, Literary Review "Scull, MacKenzie and Hervey have produced an elegantly written work, which is exhaustively referenced, indicating scholarship of an impressive standard. It contains all the essential information about those early figures of British psychiatry."--Hugh Freeman, The Times Higher Education Supplement "The alienists emerge from this account as a devious, none too honest and intellectually rather dull lot, more interested in their incomes and their acceptance by society as gentlemen than the welfare of their patients... [The book] is never less than engrossing."--Theodore Dalrymple, The Spectator "The authors... give their story a human dimension by concentrating on seven of the most prominent men active in 'mad doctoring' in the 19th century. Several of these... emerge with great vividness, and along the way some extraordinary events come to light... [A] fascinating book... "--Patrick McGrath, Los Angeles Times Book Review