Roy Porter (1) (1946–2002)

Roy Porter's "Madmen: A Social History of Madhouses, Mad-Doctors and Lunatics" was far superior to his "A Social History of Madness." In fact, a majority of the latter appears throughout this one, except with better narrative flow and context.

The title is misleading though. It is a social history of madness in the 18th century specifically, and even then ONLY in England. Which I don't mind, as the 18th century is my specialty, but someone else might. Among the excerpts from contemporary publications and historically (in)famous name drops, it covers the rise of psychiatry as a science, the "English Malady" and how "having nerves was almost as much a status symbol as having taste" (think Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice!), the practice of boarding "lunatiks" and the lucrative business of private madhouses, St. Luke's Asylum vs Bethlem Hospital, the York Retreat and humane treatment, and the myth of the Great Confinement.

Overall a fascinating read even if the author is a little repetitive at times. I learned quite a lot and took a significant amount of notes!… (more)

There exist few ways to understand something better than understanding its history. Nuanced details make more sense when attached to the historical narrative. Such is certainly the case in medicine, the universal human struggle against death. This book, an edited collection of histories of various aspects of medicine, offers these explanations with clarity and erudition. It offers hard science commingled with human insight – a coupling appropriate for the task of healing.

Students of medicine or even future students of medicine would do well to pay heed to this book. It presents a comprehensive picture of the medical enterprise. It offers insight into why individuals look for healing and what that healing consists of. While having a particular focus on the West – and especially Britain (due to its Cambridge origins) – this book attempts to integrate other forms of healing into its analyses, like homeopathy, acupuncture, and so-called alternative medicine. American medicine is frequently referenced, perhaps because of its disproportionate impact on world medicine through research.

Medical research is also well-covered in this history alongside clinical medicine. Philosophical underpinnings, like the mechanistic view of the body popularized in the Renaissance, are explained in light of the developing influence they garnered. This book does not explain in detail non-Western forms of medicine, but straightforwardly admits this fact in the text. It does treat those forms of medicine in passing.

As alluded to in the title, numerous illustrations are provided and deepen readers’ experiences. Indeed, in a sensory field like medicine, these images are almost essential. A newer edition of this book exists, one without “illustrated” in the title; I do not know if these images exist in that text, but I chose this book because of the need for good images. Indeed, this book could serve as a good book for a physician’s or nurse’s coffee table. For those looking to dig deeper into particular topics in the history of medicine, an appendix of references is provided.

This book meets several potential audiences. Medical trainees are first among those. Anyone interested in the medical enterprise in an international setting – its past, present, and future – can benefit from a read. Also, current practitioners of the medical arts can brush up on their knowledge of the past. Mysteries of the present can be explained through stories of the past – I found this to be the case several times during my reading. This book deals with an important topic, one often overlooked by education’s science-heavy curricula. Perhaps another generation can benefit from reading its contents.… (more)

I tried. I coffee'ed up and put in the time. Multiple reading sessions, high hopes and the kind of determination only an accomplished sufferer of OCD could understand. I didn't want to NOT read this. So 200 pages in and it's over.

Roy just couldn't stop trying to prove his point before he had even bothered to make it. I'm all for backing a dream and making your case strongly. Impassioned authorship typically makes for a great read. There was just too much philosophy and far too little content. Please teach me about the Enlightenment in Britain before trying to talk me into its importance. Making arguments using facts that I have yet to learn (and was hoping to learn in this book) is confusing and de-motivating.

So that's all. I'm quitting you book.… (more)