In this collection of 15 studies, medical students at the U. of Otago examine aspects of the early and modern history of mental health institutions in New Zealand and attitudes toward patients as unfortunate aliens to the world of reason. The final section looks at broader trends including that country's professionalization of psychiatry, women psychiatrists, and changing ideas about the mentally ill. Photos feature asylums and special schools and their patients and staff in various periods. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From electro-convulsive therapy to epilepsy, from criminal lunacy to community care,
Unfortunate Folks: Essays on Mental Health Treatment, 1863-1992, opens windows on to the history of mental health treatment in New Zealand.
