Regulation of madness in England from the 17th century to the early 20th century: Part 1

The Enlightenment was a period when philosophy and science rapidly progressed, leading to ground-breaking ideas which were to influence how society thought about mental illness, its causes and treatment.

This module is the first in a two-part series reviewing major concepts of madness throughout history, placing particular emphasis on developments during the Enlightenment period.

We will describe:

• how the poor, vagrant and criminally insane were disposed of in society up until 1800, with reference to judicial decisions about the definition of insanity
• significant legislation up to 1800, including that which was introduced to regulate private madhouses.