Sources: Encyclopedia of Asylum Therapeutics, 1750–1950s

Encyclopedia of Asylum Therapeutics, 1750–1950s. By Mary de Young. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015. 368 pages. acid free $55 (ISBN: 978-0-7864-6897-3). E-book available (978-0-4766-1788-6), call for pricing.

Therapeutics is defined as the treatment and care of a patient to both prevent and combat disease and injury in the online Encyclopedia Britannica. This encyclopedia is an attempt to gather many of the treatments applied in institutions for the mentally ill (insane), using the writings of proponents and practitioners of these treatments. While a few of the therapies described and documented in this encyclopedia appear to be humane and well intentioned (Hydrotherapy—beach bathing), many others appear to be punitive and even sadistic when compared to contradictory views at the times and definitely so in light of current modern understandings of mental illness. Some forms of hydrotherapy such as douche, drenching, mustard bath, etc. might be considered torture.

The 35 alphabetically arranged entries or categories of therapeutics include summaries of single or related groups of treatments. These may be paraphrased or quoted from the writings of proponents of the wide ranging theories of sanity and insanity that led to the treatments sometimes inflicted on patients in asylums. The categories are succinctly defined under the headings, followed by descriptions of the various ways these might be carried out. There are reference lists for each category, though the placement between the introductory discussion of each category and individual treatments falling within the category is unusual.

An example of this entry organization is Cerebral or Psychic Stimulation where temporary anoxia was induced by altering air pressure, inhalation of various carbon dioxide mixtures, continuous oxygen therapy, nitrogen inhalation, nitrous oxide inhalation, or sodium cyanide injections. Major hospitals, university research centers, state and private institutions for the insane and even the Chemical Warfare Service of the US Army were involved in using one or more of these methods.

Another questionable category was genital surgery of various kinds. Castration, clitoridectomy, ovariectomy, sterilization (tubal ligation and vasectomy), and “wiring” to cause pain when masturbating, are described along with those who practiced and promoted these therapies for various types of behaviors.

Many of the therapies have obscure names that require reading the entry to discover the underlying theories and treatments. Awakenings, Depletive Therapy, Fixing, Metallotherapy, Psychic Driving and Total Push are examples. Others like Bed Therapy, Diet, Forced Feeding, Isolation. Mechanical Restraints and Phototherapy offer a few clues to the category but still may surprise readers when more fully described. There are also descriptions of various surgeries, body manipulations and psychological practices. An example of physical force is Ovarian Compression to start or stop hysteria.

This encyclopedia’s vocabulary assumes a high reading level partly because of the scholarly approach to the subject and partly because there are many very formal quotes and paraphrased sections from the writings of practitioners and observers from the past. Sentences are long and sometimes quite complex.

One will find other works describing some of the history of treatments for the mentally ill, including de Young’s earlier book: Madness: an American History of Mental Illness and its Treatment (McFarland, 2010). This current encyclopedic collection appears to be unique in gathering and categorizing many of the ways in which the insane were treated over for over 200 years in Europe, North America and some other locales. Public and academic libraries should consider it for its accounts of many of the medical treatments of the mentally ill before the rise of scientific psychopharmacology.—Linda Loos Scarth, Cedar Rapids, Iowa