Numbers
How do we account for the rise and decline of asylums? When we think about the history of psychiatry we probably envisage Victorian lunatic asylums. Large institutional buildings that can… Read more »
How do we account for the rise and decline of asylums? When we think about the history of psychiatry we probably envisage Victorian lunatic asylums. Large institutional buildings that can… Read more »
This podcast carries on from last week’s, asking: Were Bethlem’s staff negligent and cruel? Did it do little to cure its inmates? The conclusion is that Bethlem was for centuries… Read more »
Just how bad was Bedlam? The next two podcasts in the series explore the iconic Bethlem Hospital – what was special about Bethlem, was it typical of developing institutional provision,… Read more »
People in the past were much more familiar with many different kinds of unusual or disruptive behaviour than we are now. Asylums were rare before the nineteenth century and most… Read more »
Historic care in the community was not a substitute for something better, but a conscious choice tailored to social and economic realities, and cultural preferences. The enduring preference for out-relief… Read more »