Custody, Care & Criminality - Forensic Psychiatry in 19th Century Ireland

In this important work, Professor Brendan Kelly explores the background to Irish psychiatry in the 1800s and its development. Using detailed case studies from the original records, the author examines some of the more bizarre treatments explored, and the history behind them. What emerges is a collection of piercing, untold stories of crime and illness, drama and tragedy. They are filled with a sense of powerlessness amongst those detailed and enthusiastic, if somewhat misguided, paternalism amongst those trying to help, and looks at the foundations for the treatment of mental illness in Ireland.