1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910782985703321

Autore

Davis Gayle

Titolo

"The cruel madness of love" [[electronic resource] ] : sex, syphilis and psychiatry in Scotland, 1880-1930 / / Gayle Davis

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Amsterdam ; ; New York, NY, : Rodopi, 2008

ISBN

94-012-0631-7

1-4416-0126-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (292 p.)

Collana

Wellcome series in the history of medicine

Clio medica, , 0045-7183 ; ; 85

Disciplina

616.9513

Soggetti

Neurosyphilis - Scotland - History

Psychiatry - Scotland - History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-274) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Preliminary material / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Abbreviations / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- List of Figures / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- List of Tables / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- List of Images / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Acknowledgements / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Introduction / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Scottish Institutional Provision for the Insane / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Clinical Diagnosis / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- The Impact of the Laboratory / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Treatment / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Aetiology and Social Epidemiology / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Conclusions / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Appendices / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Sources and Select Bibliography / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love -- Index / Editors The Cruel Madness of Love.

Sommario/riassunto

Against a backdrop of contemporary social and sexual concerns, and potent fears surrounding the moral and physical ‘degeneration’ of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century society, ‘The Cruel Madness of Love’ explores a critical period in the developing relationship between syphilis and insanity. General paralysis of the insane (GPI), the most commonly diagnosed of the neurosyphilitic disorders, has been



devastating both in terms of its severity and incidence. Using the rich laboratory and asylum records of lowland Scotland as a case study, Gayle Davis examines the evolution of GPI as a disease category from a variety of perspectives: social, medical, and pathological. Through exploring case notes and the impact of new diagnostic techniques and therapies, such as the Wassermann Test and Malarial Therapy, the reader gains a unique insight into both patients and practitioners. Significant insights are gained into the socio–sexual background and medical experience of patients, as well as the clinical ideas and judgmental behaviour of the practitioners confronting this disease. ‘The Cruel Madness of Love’ will be of interest to anyone wishing to explore the historical relationship between sexuality, morality and disease.