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‘At variance with the most elementary principles’

The state of British colonial lunatic asylums in 1863

Bibliographic Data

ID19445461
AuthorsWarwick Brunton (University of Otago, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume26
Issue2
Pages147-165
Publication date2015-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-154X • E-ISSN: 1740-2360
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0957154x14554373
PMID26022466
OpenAlexW2413043622
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited15

In 1863 the Colonial Office reviewed colonial hospitals and lunatic asylums in those parts of the British Empire it administered – probably the first and widest international comparative study up to that date. This article outlines the background, process and scope of the review of asylums, and considers its significance. The resulting ‘digest’ is an important source to explain how, why, when and by whom metropolitan ideas acquired official endorsement and spread throughout the British world. Using the review’s general findings and suggestions, a tool is provided for comparing inter-colonial achievements. With New Zealand as a case study, the article concludes that, relative to other influences, the digest played a limited and largely indirect part in shaping New Zealand’s mental health policy before 1876

Archaeology · Colonialism · Criminology · Lunatic · Metropolitan area · Political science · Psychiatry · Sociology · Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · History · Law · Medical History and Innovations · Medicine

  • Moral Management in Mental Health Institutions in the British Colonial West Indies

    Open Access•Luisito Bertinelli, Clotilde Mahé et al.•Social Science History•2026

  • La réglementation des asiles dans les colonies françaises et britanniques des années 1850 aux années 1920

    Open Access•Mathilde Ledolley•Clio Themis•2022

  • Patients behind the front lines

    Open Access•Daniel Argo, Vladislav Fainstein et al.•History of Psychiatry•2020

  • Agendas, alternatives, and public policies

    John W Kingdon•Agendas, alternatives, and public…•1995

  • The regulation of British colonial lunatic asylums and the origins of colonial psychiatry, 1860–1864

    Sally Swartz•History of Psychology•2010

  • The Scottish Influence on New Zealand Psychiatry before World War II

    Warwick Brunton•Immigrants & Minorities•2011

  • The Concept of British Education Policy in the Colonies 1850–1960

    Clive Whitehead•Journal of Educational…•2007

  • British Colonial Administration in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

    Margaret L Bates, John W Cell•The International Journal of…•1972

  • British Colonial Administration in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

    Daniel A Baugh, John W Cell•The Journal of Interdisciplinary…•1971

Unique citing works3
Citations per year0,5
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 3
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