Citation

Meek H. J. Med. Humanit. 2013; 34(1): 1-14.

Affiliation

Department of English, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, S4S 0A2, Canada, Heather.Meek@uregina.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Springer)

DOI

10.1007/s10912-012-9194-4

PMID

23192402

Abstract

This paper explores evolving treatments for hysteria in the eighteenth century by examining a selection of works by both physician-writers and educated literary women. The treatments I identify-which range from aggressive bloodlettings, diets, and beatings, to exercise, fresh air, and writing cures-reveal a unique culture of therapy in which female sufferers and doctors exert an influence on one another's notions of what constitutes appropriate management of women's mental illness. A scrutiny of this exchange of ideas suggests that female patients were not simply oppressed and silenced by male practitioners; rather, their collective voice, intellect, and expertise helped to form progressive treatments for eighteenth-century hysteria.

Language: en