Podcast
Questions and Answers
What was the term used to describe the mentally ill in the Medieval and Elizabethan eras?
What was the term used to describe the mentally ill in the Medieval and Elizabethan eras?
What was the primary cause of madness in the Elizabethan era?
What was the primary cause of madness in the Elizabethan era?
What was the purpose of water boarding therapy in the Elizabethan era?
What was the purpose of water boarding therapy in the Elizabethan era?
What was the purpose of blister therapy in the Elizabethan era?
What was the purpose of blister therapy in the Elizabethan era?
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What was the name of the famous treatment facility for the mentally insane in England?
What was the name of the famous treatment facility for the mentally insane in England?
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What was the main goal of the treatments used in the Elizabethan era?
What was the main goal of the treatments used in the Elizabethan era?
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What was the purpose of the swing chair therapy in the Elizabethan era?
What was the purpose of the swing chair therapy in the Elizabethan era?
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What was the common result of the treatments used in the Elizabethan era?
What was the common result of the treatments used in the Elizabethan era?
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Study Notes
Mental Illness in the Elizabethan Era
- During the Elizabethan era, mental illness was referred to as "madness".
- The era was distinct from the Medieval era in terms of public treatment of the mentally ill.
Causes of Insanity
- Situational factors, such as the death of loved ones, were common causes of madness.
Treatments for Madness
- Treatments were often extreme and resembled torture.
- Examples of treatments include:
- Water boarding/douching: pouring water over a patient's head with infrequent stops for breathing.
- Swing chairs: strapping patients to a chair suspended from the ceiling and swinging them constantly.
- Extreme drug therapies: intended to induce vomiting.
- Vomiting: used to exhaust patients and correct their behavior.
- Blister therapies: creating blisters on the patient's body as a means of "deflection".
Bedlam Asylum
- Bedlam was a well-known treatment facility for the mentally ill in England.
- It started as a regular hospital in 1357 AD and became the first hospital to only treat the mentally ill in 1660.
- The hospital's exterior was ornate, but the interior was chaotic and inhumane.
- The mentally ill were not allowed on the front lawn, indicating that the facility was designed for the benefit of the families, not the patients.
- In the 1750s, Bedlam opened its doors to the public, selling tickets for people to view the "treatment" of the mentally ill as entertainment.
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Description
Explore the concept of mental illness during the Elizabethan era, its causes and treatments, and how it differed from the Medieval era.
