Alienist Dr. Allen McLane Hamilton, 1910

Even though alienists (the term for early psychiatrists) treated insanity with vigor and resolution, they usually could not say with any certainty what had caused the condition.

An 1879 article, “Early Indications of Insanity,” in The American Journal of Insanity stated that in general, the cause of all insanity could be found in the neglect of, or an infraction of, the “established laws of physical or mental health.”

Since this could encompass almost anything, the writer went on to the core of his article, which was how to determine that someone was going insane. Continue reading →