Previous historical studies of the care of the insane in nineteenth century England have been based in the history of medicine. In this thesis, such care is placed in the context of the English poor law. The theory of the 1834 poor law was essentially silent on the treatment of the insane. That did not mean that developments in poor law had no effect only that the effects must be established by examination of administrative practices. To that end, this thesis focuses on the networks of administration of the poor law of lunacy, from 1834 to 1870. County asylums, a creation of the old (pre-1834) poor law, grew in numbers and scale only under the new poor law. While remaining under the authority of local Justices of the Peace, mid-century legislation provided an increasing role for local poor law staff in the admissions process. At the same time, workhouse care of the insane increased. Medical specialists in lunacy were generally excluded from local admissions decisions. The role of central commissioners was limited to inspecting and reporting; actual decision-making remained at the local level. The webs of influence between these administrators are traced, and the criteria they used to make decisions identified. The Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic asylum provides a local study of these relations. Particular attention is given to admission documents and casebooks for those admitted to the asylum between 1861 and 1865. The examination of the asylum documents, the analysis of the broader relationships of the administrators, and a reading of the legislation itself, all point up tensions between ideologies of the old and new poor law in the administration of pauper lunacy.

This study examines newspaper portrayals of the American insane asylum between 1887 and 1895. The focus is on the way the mental health system was represented to the public in the era of Nellie Bly, the stunt journalist who investigated a Manhattan insane asylum in 1887. The project reveals the ways in which the newspapers aggregated a variety of narratives around the insane asylum which ultimately presented the institution in such a way that served the needs of the press. For those without firsthand knowledge of the insane asylum, the newspaper was the primary source of information. In that medium, there was a system of knowledge created and disseminated, one that integrated and conflated the public answer to mental illness with other sociopolitical issues such as economics, crime, gender, and ethnicity. The content created a meaning in which the deteriorating asylum system was presented contradictorily as an ineffective yet permanent public reality. Furthermore, newspapers reinforced and augmented an existing shame around mental illness. Mental illness evolved from a private/family concern to one of public import over the course of the 19th century. Thus, mental affliction became more than a moral failing or a character flaw; it had been elevated to a social problem to be tended by the government. Therefore, the problem of the mentally ill fell under the jurisdiction of the metro newspaper, which often published articles relaying asylum expenses, investigations into the failing asylums themselves, or speculations as to the cause of a person's sickness.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-62). Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-62).

Thesis (M.D)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-124) Also available in print.

In the nineteenth century, the perceived ability of alienists (the early term for mental health specialists) to cure insanity eventually led to lavishly-constructed insane asylums supported by taxpayers. Simultaneously, the hope of a cure and a changing attitude toward insanity helped destigmatize mental illness and made institutionalization of the insane more acceptable. This regional study investigates insane asylums within Appalachia between 1850 and 1900. Primary sources include period articles from professional publications, census data, asylum records, period newspaper articles, and patient records. The study provides background on the medical environment of nineteenth-century Appalachia and investigates the creation and function of five Appalachian asylums. The institutions under examination appear to be as modern and enlightened as those in any other region. Contrary to most published theory, women were not committed to Appalachian asylums more often than men, nor does patient abuse appear to be prevalent.

No description available.

Pionnier dans sa façon d’approcher la prise en charge des malades, le Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, construit à la fin des années 1830 dans la campagne proche de Philadelphie, fut dirigé de 1840 à 1883 par Thomas Kirkbride. A travers la culture visuelle de l’établissement, et tout particulièrement l’usage systématique qui y fut fait des spectacles de projection à la lanterne magique, cette thèse propose de relier l’entreprise thérapeutique du Dr. Kirkbride à la riche tradition artistique et photographique de Philadelphie. Dans cette tradition nous retiendrons en particulier les frères Frederick et William Langenheim, pionniers des procédés négatif-positif aux Etats-Unis. A travers l’analyse d’un tableau commandé au peintre Benjamin West, la première partie s’ouvre sur le Pennsylvania Hospital, situé au cœur de Philadelphie, et pose les éléments de la préhistoire de l’image au Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. La deuxième partie met en avant différentes facettes de « l’image renversée » présentée par le nouvel établissement et s’appuie notamment sur le projet culturel développé au cours de la période 1841-1859. La troisième partie s’attache plus particulièrement à l’évolution des espaces verts proposés aux patients. La collection de plaques de lanterne magique, telle une fenêtre ouverte sur l’extérieur, est au cœur de cette partie. Cette collection d’objets constitue non seulement un ensemble exceptionnel par son ampleur, la diversité des techniques d’images sur verre utilisées, et la longue période de sa constitution, mais témoigne aussi de pratiques culturelles novatrices. / The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane was built in the late 1830's in the countryside near Philadelphia. It was directed from 1840 to1883 by Thomas Kirkbride, who made ita pioneer in the humane treatment of the mentally ill. This thesis connects thetherapeutic work of Dr. Kirkbride to the rich artistic and photographic traditions of Philadelphia by examining the visual culture of the institution, with special attention to the systematic use of magic lantern shows. Frederick and William Langenheim,innovators in the negative-positive process in the United States, are especially important to this history. By focusing on a painting that was commissioned from Benjamin West, the first part opens the thesis in the heart of Philadelphia, at the Pennsylvania Hospital,and explores the background period leading up to the use of images at the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. The second part details various aspects of the "reverse image"presented by the new hospital in the country and focuses on the cultural projectdeveloped during the period from 1841 to 1859. The third part looks closely at the development of outdoor spaces for the use of the patients. The collection of magic lantern slides, like a window open to the outside, is at the heart of this section. This collection of objects is exceptional due to its large scale, to the variety of techniques used in making the glass slides, and to the long period of its creation. It also bears witness to the innovative cultural practices which it records.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences