Lunatic Hospitals in Georgian England, 1750-1830

Lunatic Hospitals in Georgian England, 1750-1830 constitutes the first comprehensive study of the philanthropic asylum system in Georgian England. Using original research and drawing upon a wide range of expertise on the history of mental health this book demonstrates the crucial role of the lunatic hospitals in the early development of a national system of psychiatric institutions. These hospitals were to form an essential historical link in the emergence of a national system of institutional provision for mentally disordered people. They provided important prototypes for the subsequent development of a network of state-sponsored lunatic asylums during the nineteenth century. This is an impressive volume which covers various areas including: - the provincial lunatic hospitals - managing the hospital - managing the insane. This book will interest specialist historians as well as mental health professionals and people interested in local and regional studies.

Leonard D. Smith is an honorary research fellow at the Centre for the History of Medicine at the University of Birmingham.

Introduction 1. St Luke's Hospital for Lunaticks 2. The Provincial Lunatic Hospitals 3. Management and Staffing 4. The Physician's Domain 5. 'Proper Objects' 6. Managing and Curing the Patients 7. In Conclusion: The Restoration of Reaso