Madness in Civilization

Posted on 24 September 2017 by Andrew Scull

The loss of reason, a sense of alienation from the common sense world we all like to imagine we inhabit, the shattering emotional turmoil that can seize hold of some of us these are a part of our shared human experience whatever culture we come from Nowadays, mental disturbance is most commonly though not always viewed through a medical lens, but human beings have also always sought to make sense of the depredations of madness through invocations of the religious and the supernatural, or to construct psychological and social accounts in an effort to tame the demons of Unreason. Through twelve chapters organized chronologically, from antiquity to today, from the Bible to Freud, from exorcism to mesmerism, from Bedlam to Victorian asylums, from the theory of humours to modern pharmacology, Andrew Scull writes compellingly of the manifestations of madness, its meanings, its consequences and our attempts to treat it. New Read eBook Madness in Civilization Author Andrew Scull – kino-fada.fr Rivetingly interesting and will require a re read or 6 there is so much meat in here that I know I haven t yet wrung it dry I especially liked the cover, very clever indeed Excellent illustrations throughout add context Scull defines madness as massive and lasting disturbances of reason, intellect and emotions We do see here the first evidence of the medical model as there is no mention of spiritual dist...O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven Keep me in temper I would not be mad King Lear Madness in Civilization is simply one of the most stunning books I ve ever read.At various points in history, insanity, as depicted in Scull s book, has been deemed a divine punishment, a divine inspiration, a diabolical possession, an imbalance of humors, an honorable disease of the wealthy and super intelligent, a hidden infection, a symptom of generational degeneracy, wartime cowardice deserving O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven Keep me in temper I would not be mad King Lear Madness in Civilization is simply one of the most stunning books I ve ever read.At various points in history, insanity, as depicted in Scull s book, has been deemed a divine punishment, a divine inspiration, a diabolical possession, an imbalance of humors, an honorable disease of the wealthy and super intelligent, a hidden infection, a symptom of generational degeneracy, wartime cowardice deserving of sadistic punishment, a pitiful result of refrigerator mothers, a chemical imbalance in the brain Throughout history madness has mos...Volumul lui Andrew Scull este o mostr de cultur autentic , de erudi ie i enciclopedism, iar autorul trece prin toate etapele dezvolt rii i evolu iei umanit ii pentru a studia felul n care oamenii s au raportat la nebunie, mai ales din perspectiv cultural , dar nu numai G sim aici at t studii medicale, psihologice sau de alte genuri ale personalului medical sau tiin ific al fiec rei epoci, dar i felul n care anumite tare psihice sau fizice au fost transpuse n cultura epocii sculptur Volumul lui Andrew Scull este o mostr de cultur autentic , de erudi ie i enciclopedism, iar autorul trece prin toate etapele dezvolt rii i evolu iei umanit ii pentru a studia felul n care oamenii s au raporta...This book is a very good read, although the topic and size of it may not at first compel you to pick it up Scull is an expert in what is know about madness throughout history He starts by going through the earliest written record of mad people, right up to modern day definitions and practises.The book is full of fascinating stories of people and doctors who developed psychiatry Treatments vary from the sadistic to the ingenious and are an eye opener to the medical profession.I thoroughly enjo This book is a very good read, although the topic and size of it may not at first compel you to pick it up Scull is an expert in what is know about madness throughout history He starts by ...Her psikoloji rencisinin kesinlikle okumas gereken bir kitap Sadece delili in tarihini de il, psikiyatrinin, psikologlar n ve ele tirel psikolojinin ve delili i iyile tirememenin tarihi ayn zamanda Okurken s kl kla yazar n ara t rma becerilerine hayranl k duydum M kemmel.I expected Madness in Civilization to be fascinating A survey of the conception of insanity throughout the ages could hardly be anything but, and Scull s masterful and thoroughly, gorgeously endnoted research turns up gem after horrifying gem about the plight of the mad in society Fun fact in the early 20th century, doctors tried treating insanity by infecting their patients with meningitis What I did not expect was for Madness to be as lovely as it is, with its almost Saul Bass cover de I expected Madness in Civilization to be fascinating A survey of the conception of insanity throughout the ages could hardly be anything but, and Scull s masterful and thoroughly, gorgeously endnoted research turns up gem after horrifying gem about the plight of the mad in society Fun fact in the early 20th century, doctors tried treating insanity by infecting their patients with meningitis What I did not expect was for Madness to be as lovely as it is, with its almost Saul Bass cover design, solid weight I m a sucker for good paperstock , and color plates, which make it a treat for the senses as well as the intellect.Scull s writing style isn t up to the level of Andrew Solomon s or Kay Redfield Jamison s near poetry, but his presentation is solid, clear, and well paced If I have any quibbles with his work at all, it s that I was deeply interested in the section on madness in the Ancient world, which perhaps unsurprisingly was the thinnest on actual historical information Any disa...This broad history of attitudes toward and treatment of mental illness got off to a slow start for me Knowing the library would demand it back, I skipped through the early part of the book where treatment focused on how to exorcise demons Later chapters wereinteresting to me Mental illness encompasses many different diseases, some of which are cyclical Many different treatments have appeared to work, especially when advocated by a charismatic practitioner Hypnotism, psychoanalysis, su This broad history of attitudes toward...Compendious, erudite, and fascinating.Civilization is a key part of what this book is aboutIt feels hypocritical to say this because I plan on using parts of this when I teach Hamlet next year but I was disappointed in this book It is certainly not BAD I think the issue is that it s been sitting on my shelf for so long, and I had such high expectations for it Schull spends a lot of time talking here about the ways the mad we re treated, depicted, housed, and defined And those are all very interesting perspectives The t...Andrew Scull s Madness in Civilization is an engagingly written history of cultural responses to madness insanity mental illness I found it particularly interesting to learn that diagnostic creep is not a recent phenomenon at all, and the book as a whole serves to remind the reader that the nature and origin of what we call mental illness is still not clearly understood It s also a necessary read, I think, for anyone who is interested in explorin...

24 September 2017

Andrew Scull