Home / Browse / Philosophy & History of Ideas / An essay on the prevention and cure of insanity; with observations on the rules for the detection of pretenders to madness.
HILL, George Nesse.
An essay on the prevention and cure of insanity; with observations on the rules for the detection of pretenders to madness.
Publisher: London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown; Warrington, J. and J. Haddock, 1814
Stock code: 44441
Price: £1,700 Currency Conversion
First edition. "George Nesse Hill (1766–1831) 'medical surgeon' of Chester wrote this critical compilation of 446 pages leavened by an appendix of 29 personally observed cases. As the title implies he stressed preventive and curative aspects, and perhaps as a result of seeing malingering among the Chester Garrison discussed 'the detection of pretenders to madness', a subject little heard of today … His interest in 'madness' had been roused by 'the observations of my late worthy preceptor Dr. James Maddocks of the London Hospital' who in his lectures had criticised physicians for not paying more regard 'to a class of diseases so distressing' and instead relegating them to 'men who make their management their only study' …" Hill was one of the first to mention 'syphilitic lunatics,' moving some way towards identifying the general paralysis of the insane in his statement that "Youthful syphilitics … are in advanced life frequent victims to melancholia with peculiar brainular mischief" (Hunter and Macalpine).
Octavo (225 × 137 mm). Original publisher's blue boards, rebacked with paper label to style. A little rubbed, some foxing and browning, but overall a very good copy.
