A History of Insanity and the Asylum by Juliana Cummings is a journey into the history of asylums. Cummings delves into the meaning of what defines insanity and the treatment for those who suffered from mental illness from the Middle Ages until modern times. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-researched and fascinating book.

A very insightful and Interesting read for anyone who loves to study or read about this type of stuff

Thank you, author and publishers, for the copy of this enlightening book for my review. I’ve been interested in books about mental health since I was diagnosed with what I just more easily call LMNOP because of all of the anagrams. I think the main topic discussed in a couple of sections in this book may be what entices me: the fact that I could have been admitted against my will by my parents at a relatively young age and left there, and given regular insulin or electric therapy because I’m one of the few untreatable. (I forget the percentage). It all sounds like state mandated torture. I rarely give up once I realize a challenge, but I think this may have broken me.
This book was a bit of a trigger for me, but I could also read it objectively. I know that doesn’t make sense the way I wrote that. I think what I’m trying to say “OMG! That could have been me, “ and “OMG! I’m so glad that wasn’t me!” Anytime I read about lobotomies I think about the fact that I’m basically on a medicinal lobotomy some days I know I haven’t popped my meds simply because of how my frontal lobe feels, the effects have that drastic a half life.
I appreciated the information shared in this book. I am against the shutdown of asylums and hospitals for the mentally ill. I find it to b one of those government decisions made by politicians who have absolutely no idea what I means to need constant care. So yeah let’s just put a nominal percentage of our helpless population on the streets with no way of getting prescriptions or a safe place to sleep because they have demons running rampant around them. Great choice people!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Mental health issues are nothing new. There have been reports of the various sicknesses of the mind from the deep dark crevices of the past. Initially humans thought the gods were responsible for ailments and then humans thought that there were humours that caused them, often with a touch of the supernatural too. How the poor souls were treated has varied from culture to culture and from time frame to time frame. Much of what was observed when observations and conclusions were made turned out to be wrong. On occasion, there was a revelation that has proven the test of time. Too often the diagnoses and treatments were tainted by hatred and bigotry.

The same is true with asylums and the care of the afflicted in them. Some of the stories are harrowing to the extreme. Even in our so-called enlightened modern times, things that were considered reasonable has since been found to be barbaric. It makes the reader wonder what is hailed as a breakthrough today will, at some future point, be ridiculed for its misconceptions. At least, we can claim a larger understanding and acceptance of insanity. Whether we have uncovered the best way to deal with it is another question entirely.

It is an interesting journey outlined in the book. Four purrs and two paws up.

I really enjoyed this book, it was eerie and very eye opening. We all have pre conceived thoughts on asylum’s and insanity however this book took us through a period in time which was uncertain for many able bodied people.

The title and cover of this book caught my attention but it was very different from what I thought it was going to be. I just put it down and just never picked it up again. I was at 32% when I stopped

“A History of Insanity and the Asylum” was a well researched introduction to the darkness of the beginning of mental health care. It was overall good.

I really liked the idea of this book but for me I just couldn't get into it and struggled to pick it up to read each time. I think it just wasn't what I expected.

A History of Insanity and the Asylum: Not of Sound Mind is exactly as the title advertises. It’s a history of insanity throughout the ages. Cummings brilliantly discusses a topic that has had so many stigmas associated with it throughout most of history. While the cover of the book is “scary”, and arguably, the history of insanity is quite disturbing, she doesn’t glorify this in the writing, and the stories and facts are all written in a respectful way. I particularly appreciated how the author doesn’t talk down to the reader. However, is hardly a book for beginners or a “dummies” guide on the topic, and if you have little grasp of history in general, some chapters might be hard to follow, or at the very least, a slower read.

I previously knew a little bit about the topic of insanity throughout history, primarily from my own enjoyment of horror books and movies and the few undergraduate psychology courses that I took in university. This book is extremely comprehensive, and a lot of information is thrown at the reader. At times, it did feel a little like reading a textbook, and I would have liked for the author to have inserted a little more of her own voice into the writing. After all, that is the reason why we’re reading a book published by a general publisher and not a scholarly book on the topic. That said, she does infuse a somewhat hopeful tone throughout the text, which is refreshing given the dark and depressing subject matter.

This book gives a history of insanity and the variations of asylums from the ancient Greeks to present. Some of the content is disturbing, especially the second to last chapter about Nazi Germany. The history is fascinating, especially seeing the evolution of mental health treatment and the attempts to make it more humane and more gentle. There is emphasis on bright sunlight, gardens and making people feel like part of a community.

There are also the darker parts where people were chained, given lobotomies with an ice pick and the fact that women could be committed by husbands simply for disobeying them.

I hope this book when released has pictures of the asylum structures she mentions at their core when England was attempting to reform their asylums. I had difficulty picturing some of them, especially since the author describes them such as the reader should be familiar with these structures. I am neither an architect nor a Brit, so most England asylums wouldn't be familiar to me.

The book does focus primary on the UK but there is some discussion of the US and other parts of the world.

My one issue is with the structure. The book seemed chaotic in it's organization, almost as though the writer had organized her chapters and then felt she should add something else here or there that made them go on far too long. While a nonfiction book doesn't usually read like a novel, this one felt more like I was reading a research paper than a book. Since this is an ARC, the final version will hopefully be more polished.

Overall, a fascinating glimpse into a slice of history of mental illness and its treatment. Sadly, treatments and stigma for the diagnosis have not much changed even since Victorian times.

It's an interesting, well researched books. It's not always easy to follow but it made me learn more about what was considered insanity and how it was treated.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A History of Insanity and the Asylum is a heart bruising and compelling dive into the topic from ancient times to the recent closure of asylums. The author describes those who both positively and negatively impacted our knowledge of mental health.

Sufferers were often misunderstood and viewed as evil and therefore treated abysmally, especially women. Bedlam, public viewing, the wandering womb, malnourishment, workhouse-like conditions of Magdalene asylums and Hitler's barbarism are detailed. Creatives including Mozart and Poe who suffered from depression are mentioned. But not all treated patients with disdain; Thomas Kirkbride opened asylums where patients were shown proper attention and care. Others like him gave hope.

Various treatments such as insulin therapy, bloodletting, leucotomies, trepanning, purging, restricting movement and rotation therapy are discussed.

If this subject fascinates you, especially if you are new to it, do read this. Those who are more acquainted with it may find it a bit less informative. Nonetheless, it is interesting.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing book.

The History of Insanity and the Asylum – Julianna Cummings – (2023)
Historical institutionalized mental healthcare where patients were confined in massive gothic mental asylums is a fascinating subject matter that has always captivated the public imagination. Julianna Cummings is an author of several books of the Tudor Royal Dynasty and Medieval History, her writing/articles have been featured in several U.K. and U.S. publications.

The book covers a wide range of subject matter from the treatment of mental illness from ancient Greece and Rome, to Hippocrates, to Cicero, to the modern times of Sigmund Freud, Thomas Szasz, and Michel Foucault. During certain time periods it was a widely accepted belief that mental insanity was caused by evil/unclean spirits, supernatural forces, lack of moral character, or the failure of will that caused suffering. The treatments for mental conditions varied, though some could be cruel, barbaric—and possibly lead to death. This was particularly true when over 300,000 mentally/developmentally disabled people (including children) were murdered due to T4/Nazi Eugenic Programs (1939-45).
According to Ms. Cummings, the “Age of Enlightenment” (1685- 1815) the ideas/philosophies of the Puritan and Quaker clergy exposed a new practical, rational, and humane approach in “moral” healthcare and treatments. The confined mentally ill and/or others with disabilities eventually received care in elegant gothic castle-like asylums that inspired feelings of patient refuge, protection, and wellness. The majority of asylums were built in the U.K. between 1811-1914. By WWII asylums were overcrowded, underfunded, with valid public concerns over poor patient care, neglect, and abuse. With the arrival of antipsychotic medications including Thorazine (1955)— the resolve to place patients in community settings and out of institutionalized care began in the 1960’s. The first asylum to close in the U.K. was the Banstead Asylum (1877-1986) it was demolished in 1989. Closure of the East Riding Asylum followed (1871-1989).

It appeared that previously published data and material was mainly used in research for the book. Often, the narrative seemed like a scholarly textbook reading of scientists, doctors, theories, hospitals, and treatments that included some author observations/opinions. The subject matter is very interesting, though, at times, the organization, writing style, and the format of the book failed to measure up. For example: Ms. Cummings compared the creative genius of Amadeus Mozart and Edgar Allen Poe-- her “insight” is simply common knowledge. This also applied to her observations of female hysteria and depressive illness-- the belief of male doctors that these conditions (in past generations) resulted from uterine and reproductive disorders. Women were admitted to mental asylums in higher numbers than men, and often against their will by abusive fathers or husbands. There was an absence of suggestions and solutions to the numerous challenges related in the book. (2.5* FAIR) … **With thanks to Pen and Sword Books via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

This was an eye opening deep dive into the history to insanity and the asylum, written with great detail, but not densely.

I learned many new things I had no knowledge of. This goes over the good and the bad. How poorly the mentally ill had been treated, how those without mental illness, but just undesirable were locked away under the pretense of being deemed insane. This goes into the science behind it all, the discoveries and the growth of humane practices.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to further inform themselves about the history of asylums and scope of how medicine and procedure has changed through the centuries. This was so compelling!

Anyone with an interest in history or medicine will love this book. An interesting and fascinating book looking at the history of treatment of mental illness throughout the ages. The treatments, attitudes and imprisonment in some ages will equally horrify and fascinate as you read through the book.
I really liked the style of writing.

Thank you NetGalley and author for the advanced copy to read!

This book is a great starting point if you are interested in all things ‘mental health’ and the history of asylums. Full of interesting information and stories which I enjoyed reading. I have an interest in the history behind asylums so this was right up my street.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Pen & Sword via NetGalley.

Throughout the years, we learn how the treatments and institutional structures for caring for the mentally ill-developed and changed. The Age of Enlightenment and the rise of humanitarian reform was followed by the emergence of the insane asylum in the 1800s, which saw the beginning of the widespread construction of asylums.

Although once thought of as criminals, the mentally ill were gradually treated with care. Juliana discusses the different treatments used over time as attitudes towards the mentally ill changed, such as drug use, psychosurgery, and insulin therapy. We learn of the regulations and reforms that led to the closure of asylums, how their closure affected society, and consider how the mentally ill are treated today.

There was a plethora of useful and insightful information gathered in this book. The only thing I did not like about this book was the organization aspect of it. There were clear time periods listed out but then the author would be on a certain topic and go back to someone from centuries past. It would have made a lot more sense in my opinion to organize it more by topic than date range because the date range was clearly ignored in context.

This is a fascinating topic which I have encountered previously in other history books and also in fiction. The premise of this book appealed to me because I wanted an overview of the history of defining mental illness and the treatment of people considered to be mentally ill.

To be fair to the author, this is a huge subject which must have been challenging to condense into a short book. A lot of research has obviously gone into it. However, I didn't enjoy the book and had some issues with it.

Firstly, I felt that the book wasn't well-written at all. To be quite frank, I could have done a better job myself. The word choices were old-fashioned also, such as using 'mankind' and 'man' to mean, well, humans. Secondly, the content sometimes seemed like 'filler'. Yes, women were expected to be domestic angels in times gone by. Yes, we don't use certain terms to describe mental illness today. Tell us something we didn't already know. Thirdly, the author occasionally used the first person, which was unnecessary as it didn't contribute anything meaningful. It's not what you'd expect in a history book. Fourthly, the content was presented in a repetitive manner, such as descriptions of hospitals and how many beds they had, etc. It might have been more engaging to focus on one per chapter and get deeper into what it was really like to live or work there. Lastly, while the majority of the content was in chronological order, towards the end of the book the time skipped back and forth through the centuries, which was confusing.

In summary, I was very disappointed with this book. If you have literally no knowledge of the topic, it might be worth a read as a starting point, if the writing style doesn't bother you.

[Note - review will be on my blog, 27th Jan 2023]

I found this such a fascinating and traumatic read in places. The way it covered the complete history of asylums was done really well and i liked how it presented these facts in an objective way whilst still having compassion for the patients and those who suffered. This was well researched and i thought the focus and presentation was good. It kept me hooked all the way through and i couldn't put it down!

I read this over 2 days. I found it incredibly interesting. In this new book, Juliana Cummings first questions what behaviours and characteristics define insanity and leads us through a comprehensive history of insanity and the asylum from the early treatment and care of mental illness in the Middle Ages and early modern period through to the closure of mental institutions in the twentieth century.