Reports and Other Documents Relating to the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, Mass., 1837 (Classic Reprint)

This book, written in the early 19th century, began a national conversation about the humane treatment of the insane. The author provides background on the state of mental healthcare at the time, in which asylums were seen as prisons. The book outlines a radical new approach to treating mental illness, moving from one based on cruelty and ignorance to one based on medical science and compassion. The author, clearly ahead of his time, argues this approach should be widely adopted and accessible to all who need it.