Publisher's Synopsis
General overviews of the field are a great place to start if you want to
learn more about the fascinating past of psychiatry. But it's important
to remember that these overviews will always show the writers' own points
of view. Daniel Hack Tuke's "Chapters in the History of the Insane in the
British Isles" is one of the oldest books on the subject and has a lot to teach
us. This book came out in 1882. It was written by Tuke, who used to be the
editor of the Journal of Mental Science, which was called the British Journal of
Psychiatry in the 1800s. Within its pages, Tuke tells the story of how psychology
has changed over time, from its beginnings at Bethlem to the founding of
the York Retreat. He also talks about the strategy of not putting people in
restraints at the Lincoln and Hanwell asylums. Tuke's conclusion sums up the
change from the roughness and darkness of the old system to the "sweetness and
light" (p. 495) of the new system's creed."
