Abstract
Between 1810 and 1870, 22 district lunatic asylums were built in Ireland to accommodate an apparently growing population of mentally ill throughout the country, and only financial constraints, it would appear, checked the system’s further growth. What factors caused this startling expansion in accommodation for the insane in Ireland? Were the Irish, as some contemporary commentators claimed, more prone to insanity than other nations, or were there specific social and political factors that helped to fuel this unprecedented expansion?
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 21-25 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | History Ireland |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 6 |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2005 |
Keywords
- lunatic asylums
- Ireland
- mental health
- Dangerous Lunatic Act
- history of medicine