Regulation of madness in England from the 17th century to the early 20th century: Part 1

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Last reviewed: November 2019

The Enlightenment was a period when philosophy and science rapidly progressed, leading to ground-breaking ideas which were to influence how society thought about mental illness, its causes and treatment.

This module is the first in a two-part series reviewing major concepts of madness throughout history, placing particular emphasis on developments during the Enlightenment period.

We will describe:

how the poor, vagrant and criminally insane were disposed of in society up until 1800, with reference to judicial decisions about the definition of insanity.

significant legislation up to 1800, including that which was introduced to regulate private madhouses.

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^{Image source: Wellcome Library, London}

If you like this module, you may also be interested in:

Regulation of madness in England from the 17th century to the early 20th century: Part 2 by Dr Lisetta Lovett

Mental Health Act 1983: Criteria for detention and Safeguards by Dr Tim Branton, Dr Guy Brookes and Dr Nick Brindle

Irish Mental Health Act 2001 by Dr Larkin Feeney and Dr Brendan Kelly

Human rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 – implications for psychiatrists by Dr Martin Curtice and Dr Richard Symonds

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In the second module in this series, Regulation of madness in England from the 17th century to the early 20th century: Part 2, we look at the reform movement of the 19th century which led to significant statutory changes, as well as the major changes in mental health act legislation during the early part of the 20th century.

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