Civilian Lunatic Asylums During the First World War

Civilian Lunatic Asylums During the First World War
Author: Claire Hilton
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2020-10-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 3030548716

This open access book explores the history of asylums and their civilian patients during the First World War, focusing on the effects of wartime austerity and deprivation on the provision of care. While a substantial body of literature on ‘shell shock’ exists, this study uncovers the mental wellbeing of civilians during the war. It provides the first comprehensive account of wartime asylums in London, challenging the commonly held view that changes in psychiatric care for civilians post-war were linked mainly to soldiers’ experiences and treatment. Drawing extensively on archival and published sources, this book examines the impact of medical, scientific, political, cultural and social change on civilian asylums. It compares four asylums in London, each distinct in terms of their priorities and the diversity of their patients. Revealing the histories of the 100,000 civilian patients who were institutionalised during the First World War, this book offers new insights into decision-making and prioritisation of healthcare in times of austerity, and the myriad factors which inform this.

Women at Work in World Wars I and II

Women at Work in World Wars I and II
Author: Paul Chrystal
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2024-02-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1399071297

This book is about women in World Wars I & II - women working in factories and on farms, or toiling perilously in field stations just behind the front lines, in inhospitable hospitals and convalescent homes. It is, therefore, about the prodigious contribution women made to the war efforts from 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, standing in for the men who had left their places of work for the various theatres of war from Greece and Italy to Belgium, from Mesopotamia to France. Their tasks were many and various: keeping the troops supplied with shells, bullets and explosives, keeping the nation from starving to death, keeping hundreds of thousands of wounded troops alive so that they might fight another day. The book is, in short, the uplifting but sometimes tragic story of the many women who stepped up to work in the factories, hospitals, field stations, in transport and in civil defense, on the farms and shipyards, or signed up to the various military and civil services during the two world wars of the 20th century, ‘wars to end all wars…’. The book is different because it deals with women’s labour in both world wars and in all occupations, it covers the discrimination and prejudice they faced from men at every level, military and civilian, even when they had demonstrated beyond doubt that they were quick learners, industrious and proficient, and usually as good as any man. The book raises the embarrassing question why it has it taken so long for the prodigious contribution women made in both wars to be recognized, and why some women workers still remain air brushed from our military history after more than a century. As it turned out, little was beyond their capabilities and it is reasonable to suppose that without their huge efforts and accomplishments both wars might have turned out very differently for us.

Essential Pathophysiology for Nursing and Healthcare Students

Essential Pathophysiology for Nursing and Healthcare Students
Author: Ann Richards
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
Total Pages: 501
Release: 2014-09-16
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0335238343

Essential Pathophysiology for Nursing and Healthcare Students is the perfect quick reference and study guide for students covering pathophysiology, disease and therapeutics as part of a nursing or other healthcare course. It clearly and simply explains the underpinning processes of disease, covering cellular physiology, genetics, fluids, electrolytes and the immune system, and the main diseases and conditions that can occur within each. Each chapter is written in a quick reference format so it can be used for study, exam preparation or use on student placement. The book covers body systems including: Cardiovascular Respiratory Immune Lymphatic Nervous Digestive Endocrine Reproductive Developed with the reader in mind, each chapter includes clinical tips, case studies, diagrams, and self-assessment questions to make pathophysiology accessible and digestible - this is a must-have book for students of nursing and healthcare. "Essential Pathophysiology for Nursing and Healthcare Students is a book that should be kept no further than an arm’s reach away. The book is easy to navigate and easy to understand. Nursing and healthcare students will find that this book is essential in helping them comprehend and learn about the systems and mechanisms of the human body in health and ill health. This book would also be a good read for anybody working with or teaching students as a refresher on pathophysiology." Rebecca Bailey-McHale, Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, UK "This detailed but accessible book covers this subject in sufficient depth to give a good understanding of the topic without becoming overwhelming. As well as giving the evidence behind the text, this is a good resource if more in-depth reading is required. The authors have succeeded in writing a quick reference book that is remarkably in-depth and easy to read. This book would be suitable for any healthcare student who needs an understanding of the concept of pathophysiology however it would also be relevant for those seeking a general overview of the subject or more senior staff who wish to consolidate or refresh their knowledge." Rebecca Myatt, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Shell Shock Doctors

Shell Shock Doctors
Author: A. D. (Sandy) Macleod
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2019
Genre: Military psychiatry
ISBN: 9781527537811

Shell shock was the signature injury of the First World War. Military doctors during the conflict on the Western Front observed and personally experienced psychiatric states they had never witnessed before. This text reviews the published medical literature of that era which graphically detailed the clinical states of hysteria (conversion disorder) and neurasthenia (anxiety and PTSD). Medical officers at the front evolved pragmatic medicinal, cognitive and behavioural interventions, still practised today, though never scientifically proven to be effective. The doctors, like their patients, endured numerous horrors at the front, which were, for many, to influence their post-war personal and professional lives. Much of what they wrote was forgotten and deserves reconsideration. Neuropsychiatry was founded in the shell craters of Flanders.

Troubled by Faith

Troubled by Faith
Author: Owen Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2023-09-28
Genre: Belief and doubt
ISBN: 019887300X

The nineteenth century was a time of extraordinary scientific innovation, but with the rise of psychiatry, faiths and popular beliefs were often seen as signs of a diseased mind. By exploring the beliefs of asylum patients, we see the nineteenth century in a new light, with science, faith, and the supernatural deeply entangled in a fast-changing world. The birth of psychiatry in the early nineteenth-century fundamentally changed how madness was categorised and understood. A century on, their conceptions of mental illness continue to influence our views today. Beliefs and behaviour were divided up into the pathological and the healthy. The influence of religion and the supernatural became significant measures of insanity in individuals, countries, and cultures. Psychiatrists not only thought they could transform society in the industrial age but also explain the many strange beliefs expressed in the distant past. Troubled by Faith explores these ideas about the supernatural across society through the prism of medical history. It is a story of how people continued to make sense of the world in supernatural terms, and how belief came to be a medical issue. This cannot be done without exploring the lives of those who found themselves in asylums because of their belief in ghosts, witches, angels, devils, and fairies, or because they though themselves in divine communication, or were haunted by modern technology. The beliefs expressed by asylum patients were not just an expression of their individual mental health, but also provide a unique reflection of society at the time - a world still steeped in the ideas and imagery of folklore and faith in a fast-changing world.

Waste into Weapons

Waste into Weapons
Author: Peter Thorsheim
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-08-31
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1316395502

During the Second World War, the United Kingdom faced severe shortages of essential raw materials. To keep its armaments factories running, the British government enlisted millions of people in efforts to recycle a wide range of materials for use in munitions production. Recycling not only supplied British munitions factories with much-needed raw materials - it also played a key role in the efforts of the British government to maintain the morale of its citizens, to secure billions of dollars in Lend-Lease aid from the United States, and to uncover foreign intelligence. However, Britain's wartime recycling campaign came at a cost: it consumed items that would never have been destroyed under normal circumstances, including significant parts of the nation's cultural heritage. Based on extensive archival research, Peter Thorsheim examines the relationship between armaments production, civil liberties, cultural preservation, and diplomacy, making Waste into Weapons the first in-depth history of twentieth-century recycling in Britain.

War

War
Author: A. C. Grayling
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2017-04-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0300226284

A renowned philosopher challenges long-held views on just wars, ethical conduct during war, why wars occur, how they alter people and societies, and more. For residents of the twenty-first century, a vision of a future without warfare is almost inconceivable. Though wars are terrible and destructive, they also seem unavoidable. In this original and deeply considered book, A. C. Grayling examines, tests, and challenges the concept of war. He proposes that a deeper, more accurate understanding of war may enable us to reduce its frequency, mitigate its horrors, and lessen the burden of its consequences. Grayling explores the long, tragic history of war and how warfare has changed in response to technological advances. He probes much-debated theories concerning the causes of war and considers positive changes that may result from war. How might these results be achieved without violence? In a profoundly wise conclusion, the author envisions “just war theory” in new moral terms, considering the lessons of World War II and the Holocaust, and laying down ethical principles for going to war and for conduct during war. “Exceptionally incisive on war and peace…As a former professional soldier, and no stranger to conflict, I regret not having had access to [War] when it mattered.”—Milos Stankovic, Spectator “A brisk and sweeping survey.”—Mark Mazower, Financial Times “Wide-ranging, accessible, and crammed with insights. Though it does not underestimate the obstacles to peace, it is never cheaply cynical. The result is somber, yet also inspiring.'—Russell Blackford, author of The Mystery of Moral Authority

Italy's Margins

Italy's Margins
Author: David Forgacs
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2014-03-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107052173

Five case studies show how different people and places were marginalized and socially excluded as the Italian nation-state was formed.

Empire and Leprosy in Colonial Bengal

Empire and Leprosy in Colonial Bengal
Author: Apalak Das
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2024-03-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1003862241

Leprosy, widely mentioned in different religious texts and ancient scriptures, is the oldest scourge of humankind. Cases of leprosy continue to be found across the world as the most crucial health problem, especially in India and Brazil. There are a few maladies that eventually turn into social disquiets, and leprosy is undoubtedly one of them. This book traces the dynamics of the interface between colonial policy on leprosy and religion, science and society in Bengal from the mid-nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth centuries. It explores how the idea of ‘degeneration’ and the ‘desolates’ shaped the colonial legality of segregating ‘lepers’ in Indian society. The author also delves into the treatments of leprosy that were often transfigured from ‘original’ English texts, written by American or British medical professionals, into Bengali. Rich in archival resources, this book is an essential read for scholars and researchers of history, Indian history, public health, social history, medical humanities, medical history and colonial history.