25.1.11

Photographs from An Illustrated Casebook of Victorian Psychiatric Patients in Bethlem Hospital

By Hering.
In the 1850's Henry Hering photographed patients at Bethlem (see Richard Dadd), his work being used for diagnostic purposes.

By Galton.

In the 1880's Francis Galton photographed patients, motivated by his interest in eugenics.

This fascinating book , showing photographs taken from the mid 1880's to the mid 1890's by Alfred Barker, Herbert Parker, Carbutt Fairbank and Horace Pring (all of whom were on the hospital staff) is going for a hundred quid on Amazon. In the book the photographs are accompanied by case summaries .


Presumed Curable: An Illustrated Casebook of Victorian Psychiatric Patients in Bethlem Hospital- Colin Gale & Robert J Howard
Wrightson Biomedical Publishing Ltd (2003)
ISBN-13: 978-1871816488




















Posted by Walker
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2011 at 11:34 PM

    I have this book - I love it! How the form of mental illness hasn't changed but the content has. It also seems more optimistic in some ways - the admission criterion including 'presumed curable' rather than the theraputic nihilism so common today. The odd formal dance in our place wouldn't go amiss either.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Fuck me - £100! Officially the most expensive thing I've stolen from a hospital for personal use.

    ReplyDelete

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