Psychiatry Episodes

In this week’s episode, Daisy and Olivia tackle some Gs in the history of medicine: glass delusion, gangrene and Godfrey’s Cordial.

Join us as we explore the history of medicine, from head to toe! This time: the guts.

Delves into the history of psychiatry and modern-day psychiatry practice.

Dr Maureen Park uses the archive of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital to examine the reasons why, and the extent to which, drawing was promoted as a ‘therapeutic’ activity in the hospital.

Dr Allan Beveridge discusses the 19th century Scottish pioneer of psychiatric medicine Sir Alexander Morison and the collection of illustrations of asylum patients which he commissioned.

John Crichton considers the origins of Scotland’s ‘insanity’ law and what ancient themes are still relevant today.

Sarah Wise examines a number of disputed lunacy cases, ranging from the 1820s to the 1890s - including the unsavoury incident that Sir Alexander Morison himself became embroiled in.

Prof. Chris Philo explores the ‘madness’ of both human and animals.

Explores the migratory patterns of Irish patients into and through the Lancashire asylum system in the later 19th century.

Explores how healthcare professionals in the UK interpreted psychosomatic disorders such as shell shock, battle exhaustion and traumatic neurasthenia, in the context of psychiatric research and the new forms of warfare.

Explores the relationship between madness, psychiatry and gender over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, using the Royal Edinburgh Asylum as a case study.

Drawing on over a thousand patient letters, this examines the lives of inmates at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum when the renowned psychiatrist Thomas Clouston was Superintendent.