Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles

Tuke, Daniel Hack, 1827-1895Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5
Word count
912K words
Chapters
92

Tags

English Originals World HistoryMedicine Historical ReappraisalSocial ObservationMental AsylumBritish Medical HistorySocial OutsidersHumanistic CarePsychological InsightMoral DilemmaAcademic StudyDocumentary Narrative

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles by Daniel Hack TukeAuthor: Tuke, Daniel Hack, 1827-1895,Language: English, Class: RC: Medicine: Internal medicine, Release Date: Feb 5, 2010

Editor's review

Written by the British psychiatrist Daniel Hack Tuke, this book traces in chapters the history of care and institutionalization of the insane in the British Isles. Working within the context of nineteenth-century psychiatric reform, the author combines clinical experience with a historian's awareness of sources, giving the work both an institutional-historical arc and a sustained attention to the situation of patients. For readers studying the history of medicine, social history, and the evolution of welfare institutions, it offers a first-hand contemporary perspective that can be read against later critical scholarship to identify its positions and limitations. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to search and cite and well suited as a primary source for focused study. Note that its value judgments and terminology are now dated; read it with a historicizing eye and do not treat it as a guide to contemporary mental health practice.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Begin with the table of contents to grasp the chronological and thematic threads of the chapters, then select chapters relevant to your own research for close reading.
  2. As you read, note the author's value judgments and period terminology, and keep separate notes comparing them with contemporary scholarship.
  3. Read alongside general histories of the British mental health system to build a background framework.
  4. When citing material from the book, verify the edition and page numbers to maintain scholarly rigor in using historical sources.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

What period of asylum history does this book discuss? The book traces in chapters the history of care for the insane in the British Isles; its author, Tuke, was a nineteenth-century psychiatrist, and his account carries a distinctly period perspective. For the specific period covered, consult the original chapters; readers are advised to skim the table of contents first to confirm how it corresponds to their research interests.
Are the book's views still applicable today? This is a nineteenth-century historical document whose terminology, value judgments, and ideas of care bear clear marks of their time and should not be taken directly as a basis for contemporary mental health practice. Its value lies in providing primary sources and a research perspective; read it historically and compare it with later critical scholarship.
Is it suitable for citing in academic papers? As a public-domain primary source, the book is suitable as a source for research in medical history and social history, and can be used to discuss nineteenth-century psychiatric discourse and institutional care. When citing, note the author's standpoint and period limitations, verify the specific edition, and avoid using it out of context.
Is the English original difficult to read? Written in the nineteenth century, the book has period features in syntax and diction and involves medical and institutional terminology, posing some barrier for non-specialist readers. Readers with a foundation in English reading and an interest in medical history will find it more accessible; those seeking only an overview may first consult relevant Chinese-language studies.

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About the author

Tuke, Daniel Hack, 1827-1895 Author · British · 1827–1895

Daniel Hack Tuke (1827–1895) was a British psychiatrist. Public information about his early education, professional career and honours is limited; what can be confirmed is his enduring concern with mental illness and his advocacy for better treatment of the insane. He edited A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, a reference work that reflects his attention to the systematic organization of psychiatric knowledge. The library also holds his Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles, which traces, in historical order, the conditions and institutional changes affecting the insane in Britain and neighbouring areas, showing a strong documentary orientation and humane concern. Tuke's writing combines professional expertise with practical concern, and his works are important references for understanding the development of nineteenth-century British psychiatry.