Schizophrenia in the 1800's

Little was known in the scientific world about Schizophrenia in the 18th century. We will explore how the world reacted to this unknown disorder, and the history behind it.
Throughout the 1700's, Schizophrenia was commonly confused with the mental illness dementia. Starting in the 18th century, scientists began to notice small differences between the two disorders yet the actual term Schizophrenia was not coined until the early 19th century.
The rise of mental institutions began at the turn of the 17th century. In prior decades, mental patients were housed in insane asylums and normal hospitals. These places treated patients as a near sub-human class. They were put onto display for the entertainment of the public. The mental institutions introduced the moral treatment method which was far more humane. These buildings were set away from the busy cities, giving the patients a calm environment.
One of the largest barriers for Schizophrenia research comes from the lack of scientific case studies. Throughout the evolution schizophrenia, many medical scientists attempted to pinpoint the exact symptoms of it, through the observations and study of various "mad" individuals. One of the greatest contributors to this progression was the medical psychiatrist John Haslam. Haslam's case study of the individual James Tilly Mathews helped to identify and classify the various rudimentary contributing symptoms of schizophrenia.

Find out more about schizophrenia from this book, Amazon.com
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