The Treatment of the Insane Without Mechanical Restraints (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781108063333)

Trained as a physician and alienist (psychiatrist), John Conolly (1794-1866) first published this work in 1856. It describes the abolition of mechanical restraints in the treatment of mentally ill patients at the Hanwell County Asylum in Middlesex, where Conolly worked as resident physician. He argues for a system of non-restraint to be implemented as standard in all asylums, focusing on understanding patients as individuals and treating them with care and compassion. Conolly had introduced at Hanwell an innovative programme for patients that was based around positive activities, personal freedom, privacy, good-quality food, exercise, and, most importantly, the absence of any physical restraint. Though controversial at first, Conolly's enlightened methods and writings helped further the cause of humane treatment. This work remains a key text in the history of asylum reform and changing attitudes to mental illness.

Author: John Conolly
ISBN-10: 1108063330
ISBN-13: 9781108063333
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/21/2013
Pages: 398
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.89d