About this Item
Modern Persecution, Or, Insane Asylums Unveiled, As Demonstrated by the Report of the Investigating Committee of the Legislature of Illinois. By Mrs. E. P. W. Packard. Published by the Authoress. Vol. I. Hartford: Case, Lockwood & Brainard, Printers and Binders. 1875. Complete (8 plates), 402 p., 8 x 5.25 , 8vo. In poor condition. As is. Rear board warped from water dampness staining. Binding cocked. Cloth covering boards torn at edges and corners, board exposed. Front and rear hinges chipped, binding mesh exposed. Gilt lettering and deco on binding dulled & soiled, but legible. Head of spine lacking (including headband), tail of spine lacking (headband remains), binding exposed. All edge gilt (dulled). Ex-library ink stamps found from front end-page to title page. Ink marginalia found on front end-page. Water dampness staining to top and fore-edges throughout text-block. Front gutters split at front fly-leaf with exposed cording. Rear paste-down rippled from water dampness staining. Toning throughout text-block, with light toning found. Binding intact, but fragile. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. Elizabeth Packard (1816-1897) was featured by National Women's History Museum: "After defending her sanity at trial in 1864, Packard campaigned to ensure the rights of the mentally ill as well as those of married women. She publicized the story of her hospitalization at the hands of her husband in order to prevent the abuse and neglect of others vulnerable before the law. Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard was born in Ware, Massachusetts on December 28, 1816. Her father, Samuel Ware, was a Calvinist minister. Packard attended the Amherst Female Seminary, where she studied classics, literature, and mathematics. Her family took in boarders from Amherst College, including Henry Ward Beecher. Beecher would soon become one of the most popular preachers in the country. Beecher s inquisitive nature and his unorthodox religious teachings greatly influenced Packard. When Packard was 19, she suffered what was then termed brain fever : a condition characterized by a high fever, headaches, and delirium, among other symptoms. The recommended treatment included bleeding and purging. When her condition failed to improve right away, Packard s father committed her to an asylum in Worcester, Massachusetts. After six weeks, the asylum s superintendent declared Packard s health restored and released her. This experience contributed to Packard s mistrust of the medical system. She felt that her most troubling symptoms resulted from the treatments she received, rather than the original fever. To Packard, it was the passage of time, not the interventions of any physicians, that led to her recovery. In her later years, Packard lived in California with one of her sons and his wife. She and Theophilus never divorced, but lived separately for the rest of their lives. Packard passed away in 1897." Initially published in 1873 with 16 illustrations. This is an (assumed) second edition, with 8 plates. Claims to be Vol. I, but no other known volumes exist. FORN-SHELF-0599-BB-2408-HK1987. Seller Inventory # FORN-SHELF-0599-BB-2408-HK1987
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