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How can you trace forebears who were patients in lunatic asylums and find out about their lives? What sources can you consult to discover their personal histories and gain an insight into their experiences? In this concise, accessible handbook, Michelle Higgs answers these questions. She provides a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers the means to explore the records for themselves. She concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century through to 1948 when the National Health Service was founded and looks in particular at the Victorian era which is the most popular period for research.Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations and case studies of real individuals, she brings the story of the asylums and their patients to life. Different types of institution are described such as private madhouses, county lunatic asylums, facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Chapters look at the admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how they were treated - for instance, those with depression or mania, criminal lunatics, mothers with puerperal insanity, epileptics and soldiers suffering from shell shock.There are sections on the systems in Scotland and Ireland, as well as England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge registers.
We offer free standard UK delivery on all orders over £50.
Orders up to £30 are charged a flat fee of £4.95
Orders between £30.01 and £50 are charged a flat fee of £6.95.
Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below. These timescales may vary especially when we have online sales and in the weeks before Christmas. Christmas 2024: The last recommended order date for UK orders is 14 December. The last recommended order date for all international orders is 23 November.
Delivery Worldwide
We can also ship most items worldwide.
For full details, including prices, click here.
Custom Prints
Your prints and frames will be handmade by King & McGaw at their Sussex workshop.
Unframed orders are shipped within 5 working days (normally shipped next day).
Framed orders are shipped within 20 working days.
Further information on delivery timescales for custom prints can be found here.
If you are not completely satisfied with your item you may return it within 28 days for a refund.
For further details on returns click here.
Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund on custom prints unless they are faulty or we have made a mistake. Custom prints are exempt as they are made to order.
Manufacturer/Publisher: Pen & Sword
Binding: Paperback
Author: Michelle Higgs
SKU: 9781526744852
How can you trace forebears who were patients in lunatic asylums and find out about their lives? What sources can you consult to discover their personal histories and gain an insight into their experiences? In this concise, accessible handbook, Michelle Higgs answers these questions. She provides a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers the means to explore the records for themselves. She concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century through to 1948 when the National Health Service was founded and looks in particular at the Victorian era which is the most popular period for research.Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations and case studies of real individuals, she brings the story of the asylums and their patients to life. Different types of institution are described such as private madhouses, county lunatic asylums, facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Chapters look at the admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how they were treated - for instance, those with depression or mania, criminal lunatics, mothers with puerperal insanity, epileptics and soldiers suffering from shell shock.There are sections on the systems in Scotland and Ireland, as well as England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge registers.
We offer free standard UK delivery on all orders over £50.
Orders up to £30 are charged a flat fee of £4.95
Orders between £30.01 and £50 are charged a flat fee of £6.95.
Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below. These timescales may vary especially when we have online sales and in the weeks before Christmas. Christmas 2024: The last recommended order date for UK orders is 14 December. The last recommended order date for all international orders is 23 November.
Delivery Worldwide
We can also ship most items worldwide.
For full details, including prices, click here.
Custom Prints
Your prints and frames will be handmade by King & McGaw at their Sussex workshop.
Unframed orders are shipped within 5 working days (normally shipped next day).
Framed orders are shipped within 20 working days.
Further information on delivery timescales for custom prints can be found here.
If you are not completely satisfied with your item you may return it within 28 days for a refund.
For further details on returns click here.
Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund on custom prints unless they are faulty or we have made a mistake. Custom prints are exempt as they are made to order.
