The Art of Asylum-Keeping: Thomas Story Kirkbride and the Origins of American Psychiatry (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving)

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Summary: 19th Century Asylums
Review: I found this book to be very helpful in my research. It provided in depth information about the dark ages of American physicatric care. The author presented the material in a manner that makes research very easy and it cited many specific cases.

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Summary: a model historical work
Review: This book is a brilliant model for how to write an intellectually rigorous historical study. David Rothman and Michel Foucault might make more grandiose claims about the asylum but neither treats the subject with as much balance or honesty as Tomes. What always impresses me most about Thomas Story Kirkbride was his unbounded optimism in architecture and its ameliorative potential. Nancy Tomes has provided me and other researchers with an incredible source of information and inspiration.