The History of Bethlem - Hardcover

Andrews, Jonathan; Briggs, Asa; Porter, Roy; Tucker, Penny; Waddington, Keir

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415017734 ISBN 13: 9780415017732

Publisher: Routledge, 1997

Synopsis

Bethlem Hospital, popularly known as "Bedlam", is a unique institution. Now seven hundred and fifty years old, it has been continuously involved in the care of the mentally ill in London since at least the 1400s. As such it has a strong claim to be the oldest foundation in Europe with an unbroken history of sheltering and treating the mentally disturbed. During this time, Bethlem has transcended locality to become not only a national and international institution, but in many ways, a cultural and literary myth.
The History of Bethlem is a scholarly history of this key establishment by distinguished authors, including Asa Briggs and Roy Porter. Based upon extensive research of the hospital's archives, the book looks at Bethlem's role within the caring institutions of London and Britain, and provides a long overdue re-evaluation of its place in the history of psychiatry.

About this title

Review:

"A must-have for the historian of psychiatry." -"Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences "Stunning. At last Bethlem has the comprehensive history it deserves, firmly grounded in a wider social and political context. With a deft touch the authors have unpicked the tapestry of myth and misconception surrounding Bethlem, to reveal the intricate twists and turns of its various existences. Psychiatric historiography has been considerably enriched." -Nick Hervey, co-author of "Masters of Bedlam

About the Author:

Jonathan Andrews is Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities, Oxford Brookes University. His publications include "The History of Bethlem "(1997) and ""They're in the Trade of Lunacy" "(1998). Andrew Scull, author of "Social Order/ Mental Disorder "(California, 1989; 1992) and "The Most Solitary of Afflictions "(1993), among other books, is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. They are coauthors of "Undertaker of the Mind "(California, 2001), a wide-ranging study of the place of madness in eighteenth-century culture and society, seen through the prism of John Monro's life and career.

ASA BRIGGS is one of the most highly respected British historians. He is the author of Victorian People, Victorian Cities and Victorian Things. He has also written a five-volume history of broadcasting in the United Kingdom. He was made a life peer in 1976.

Roy Porter is Professor of the Social History of Medicine at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, and author of a number of books including London: A Social History.

Dr Penny Tucker now works in Devon as a designer, but continues to research history and to write part-time.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0415017734
• ISBN 13: 9780415017732
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 766