Thenineteenthcenturywasatimeofextraordinaryscientificinnovation,butwiththeriseofpsychiatry,faithsandpopularbeliefswereoftenseenassignsofadiseasedmind.Byexploringthebeliefsofasylumpatients,weseethenineteenthcenturyinanewlight,withscience,faith,andthesupernaturaldeeplyentangledinafast-changingworld.Thebirthofpsychiatryintheearlynineteenth-centuryfundamentallychangedhowmadnesswascategorisedandunderstood.Acenturyon,theirconceptionsofmentalillnesscontinuetoinfluenceourviewstoday.Beliefsandbehaviourweredividedupintothepathologicalandthehealthy.Theinfluenceofreligionandthesupernaturalbecamesignificantmeasuresofinsanityinindividuals,countries,andcultures.Psychiatristsnotonlythoughttheycouldtransformsocietyintheindustrialagebutalsoexplainthemanystrangebeliefsexpressedinthedistantpast.TroubledbyFaithexplorestheseideasaboutthesupernaturalacrosssocietythroughtheprismofmedicalhistory.Itisastoryofhowpeoplecontinuedtomakesenseoftheworldinsupernaturalterms,andhowbeliefcametobeamedicalissue.Thiscannotbedonewithoutexploringthelivesofthosewhofoundthemselvesinasylumsbecauseoftheirbeliefinghosts,witches,angels,devils,andfairies,orbecausetheythoughthemselvesindivinecommunication,orwerehauntedbymoderntechnology.Thebeliefsexpressedbyasylumpatientswerenotjustanexpressionoftheirindividualmentalhealth,butalsoprovideauniquereflectionofsocietyatthetime-aworldstillsteepedintheideasandimageryoffolkloreandfaithinafast-changingworld.
witches COUNTRIES ANGELS DEVILS FAITH WITCHES countries angels devils faith
