Book Description
Madhouse reveals a long-suppressed medical scandal, shocking in its brutality and sobering in its implications. It shows how a leading American psychiatrist of the early twentieth century came to believe that mental illnesses were the product of chronic infections that poisoned the brain. Convinced that he had uncovered the single source of psychosis, Henry Cotton, superintendent of the Trenton State Hospital, New Jersey, launched a ruthless campaign to “eliminate the perils of pus infection.” Teeth were pulled, tonsils excised, and stomachs, spleens, colons, and uteruses were all sacrificed in the assault on “focal sepsis.”
Many patients did not survive Cotton’s surgeries; thousands more were left mangled and maimed. Cotton’s work was controversial, yet none of his colleagues questioned his experimental practices. Subsequent historians and psychiatrists too have ignored the events that cast doubt on their favorite narratives of scientific and humanitarian progress.
In a remarkable feat of historical detective work, Andrew Scull exposes the full, frightening story of madness among the mad-doctors. Drawing on a wealth of documents and interviews, he reconstructs in vivid detail a nightmarish, cautionary chapter in modern psychiatry when professionals failed to police themselves.
Customer Reviews:
The Dangers of looking Backward.......2006-09-03
Rear view mirrors often contain the printed admonition that "objects in this mirror may be closer than they appear." Historical accounts of events nearly a century ago should also come with a disclaimer: "There is no history, only "histories" or accounts of past happenings as one person imagined them to be." Madhouse is the story of medical research gone overzealous; of needed oversight and peer sanctions being ineffective. Madhouse provides an account of Dr. Henry Cotton, a psychiatrist in search of a physical cause for mental illness. He performed surgery on numerous patients with the belief that their conditions were caused by focal infections.
There is little question that scientific understanding does not move forward with the objectivity and logical progress that would best serve humankind. There are personalities and careers at stake, political influences and reputations, and of course the dogma of any science on any given day. Even today, much of medical practice has yet to be substantiated by randomized clinical trial, yet it presses on doing the best that it can. This is especially true in psychiatry. There are dangers in looking only for molecular or cellular explanations of disease at the expense of considering the consequences on the everyday life of the patient.
Although Scull's "account" makes for sensational reading, and contains interesting historical facts about the personalities and events of the time; what it lacks is what no historian can really provide and what every psychiatrist should be concerned with. There are spaces of "meaning" between the events of a life that only the individuals involved can truly know. Did Dr. Cotton intentionally harm these patients, or did he honestly believe that the eradication of infection would help them recover?
Medical "science" is filled with examples, some of them now occurring, of experimental or unsubstantiated approaches done on the basis of anecdotal evidence or pure hope in the outcome. There is a sad tale about the use of ECT or "shock therapy" that was used broadly in psychiatry in this country (even within the past 30 years) with little understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying its occasional efficacy. When people have illnesses, they seek help, they trust their caregivers and often they submit to procedures with high levels of risk because no other known remedy exists. At one point in the early history of medicine, it was believed that blood letting was beneficial. Shall all practices of the past be condemned because the knowledge of the day was primitive? The wisdom of today's knowledge should never be used as a standard to judge the ignorance of an earlier time. Rather, it should inform us about the caution that should be exercised in in our current and future behaviors.
While the "story" offered by Scull is compelling, it can be claimed that he makes assertions and conclusions that are as unsubstantiated as the procedures he describes. Is Madhouse a novel or a scientific account? Is it written to inform objectively or to sensationalize as part of a crusade? Just as all good historical accounts must carefully describe the events and contexts of the time being described, so too must "Madhouse" and its conclusions be viewed in the context of our age. Excessive hyperbole may be a personality trait that affects megalomaniacs and "historians' alike. Happily, for readers, the antidote is to take one person's account with a few grains of sodium chloride. More context and less generalization would provide a more balanced (and for me) enjoyable read.
Sadly disappointing.......2005-12-05
As a psychiatric resident, I thought I might find something of educational value in this book. Instead I found a full-scale assault on psychiatry and psychiatrists. Although the book appears well researched, I found the author to have surprisingly little understanding or appreciation of modern psychiatric treatment. This, combined with his crusade against psychiatry, leads to spurious conclusions, broad generalizations and inferences that are misleading and untrue. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Fantastic essay on misplaced medical physicalism.......2005-09-07
This book describes the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders using radical surgery by the American psychiatrist Joseph Cotton. He was a advocate of the doctrine of 'focal sepsis' which located the seat of mental illness in bacteriological infections of various body organs. While this may appear crank thinking now, Cotton was simply elaborating one trend in medical thinking at the time. Admittedly his elaboration was robustly surgical. 'Infections' leading to psychoses were found in the teeth, the sinuses, the ileum, colon, almost all parts of the intestines, the cervix, testicles, and naturally the stomach.
Cotton's 'enucleation' of offending organs and parts was intended to cure the patient. However, with mortality rates of 30%, the treatment was much worse than any disease. Cotton was effectively little more than a butcher that rountinely cut up his patients involuntarily. How did he get away with it for so long? What events finally opened a window on the horror of his methods? Well these are the stuff of the book. If you know any Kuhn or Lakatos, this book will absolutely grab your attention. Well worth reading.
Medical holocaust?.......2005-08-19
Andrew Scull meticulously exposes blinkered practice, faulty ego, and inertia in the face of overwhelming facts. At times this book felt like a nightmarish novel but all the evidence was there-thousands of people experienced and witnessed a medical holocaust. I found it compelling and tragic. Little wonder that evidenced based medical practice emerged from catastrophes like these. Not to be missed by any patient who has ever thought of seeking a second opinion. Madhouse was my `read` of the year.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2370 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine.(Book review)
Author: Ian Freckelton
Publication:
Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 12
Issue: 2
Page: 435(4)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii.......2005-09-15
It is encouraging to have a Hawaiian book on Indigenism that, through the perceptions and words of a Native Hawaiian, reconnects Hawaii with victims world-wide of a 500+ year International Indigenous Holocaust.
This book provides a useful contribution to the efforts of those of us who's goals, in various sectors, include the convergence, without granting a dominant position to either,of Indigenous and Western world views.
Trask is the light for truth.......2005-08-19
"From a Native Daughter" is very intelligently written with strong academic and historical references. Who can fault Trask for being so passionate and angered about Hawaii's wrongful past? For over 110 years, Hawaii has been seized and administered illegally by the United States. The native people have had their culture, their sovereignty, and their spirits taken away. She is demanding a right of sovereignty for this island nation that has been falling on deaf ears for generations.
There have been many interesting comments regarding this book that I've read and some are simply ignorant. No, Haunani Trask is not full Hawaiian but not very many are. One hundred years after Cook 'disovered' Hawaii, the population had been reduced 90% due to disease and cultural shock. There are maybe 5,000 pure Hawaiians left today, and most of them are so disenfranchised they cannot even think of deciding to write a book. Haunani speaks for these people who are powerless.
Another opinion is that her statements have little merit academically. The only revisionism occurring is the glossed tourist culture that is Hawaii today. And for anyone thinking that the wrong done to Hawaiians is not recognized (though very covertly), the Apology Bill signed by Clinton in 1993 displays the American government's fault in the illegal takeover. Interestingly, from this APOLOGY, all programs aimed to serve Hawaiians are being called racist and unfair for non-Hawaiians. This is hyprocrisy in the highest.
Haunani Trask is a racist? Her words are strong and no one can doubt her forceful style. Her political incorrectness is a reflection of how this government has treated the Hawaiians. America does not even recognize Hawaiians as an indigenous people like they do the Native Americans, not to say that Native Americans have a wonderful life either. The United States believes that Hawaiians are not different than other residents of Hawaii and that everyone should have an equal ground. It sounds so altruistic, but its destructive for native peoples. The Hawaiians have been here since the beginning of creation according to their religion. They practiced their culture, cared for the land, and lived in dignity over a thousand years before Cook landed. What are the results since the arrival: their language was banned, their religion was banned, their kingdom was annexed illegally, their people are still suffering today.
I have a brief personal story. I had many relatives and friends on my father's dad's side that lived on a very rural and peaceful area named Makua on Oahu (except for the live military firing that is destroying very rare endemic plants and cultural sites sacred to Hawaiians). They were the kindest Hawaiian people who lived off the land and the sea not bothering anyone. My grandfather was one of these Hawaiians and I loved all of our friends and relatives there. They bothered no one and lived traditional Hawaiians lives, very simple and generous. They weren't homeless like many claimed, they were living simply and beautifully. About 7 years ago, the state said that these people were trespassing on public lands and the tourists did not feel comfortable going there. They were forced off the beaches, many of them having to pack their tents and their belongings and travel somewhere else, a somewhere that does not welcome this lifestyle. A memorable picture is that of the bulldozers coming in and threatening to raze their campsites. So these Hawaiians, with their little piece of land, perhaps the last place of refuge for the Hawaiians, were scattered into streetcorners and alleys. I will never forget what happened to the people in the place I also called home, so symbolic of the Hawaiian people who continue to be subjugated to American interests.
I know that story seemed like a non-sequitor, but I wanted to share an intimate example of how much hurt Hawaiians have endured and continue to endure. Hawaiians are homeless, have the worst health statistics in the state, have the highest prison attendance, the list goes on. If Hawaiians will ever be heard fairly, I do not know. It is a quiet genocide amidst the hula girls and luaus that are at best distant replicas of who the Hawaiians really were.
If there is any injustice in this book, it's in the people who do not venture out of their perspectives and feel the tears and struggle saturated in the pages. Haunani Trask had a purpose with this book: To roar with anger and sadness for a people who live like tiny fireflies fighting the darkness of a long moonless night.
What it is we should know........2005-08-19
Many have critiqued Professor Trask's work for being "self-serving," "overly angry," "racist" or worse. These reviewers seem to miss the point that Trask is speaking from a highly personal though richly considered narrative position and not writing a history of Hawaii. In fact, to my recollection Professor Trask never claims to be writing history, but righting it.
This book which I picked up during a visit to Hawaii was a compelling read both in the freshness of its perspective and, quite frankly, in the newness of the ideas it lays out. Few of us are actually familiar with the story of how Hawaii came to be a US state and fewer still understand the incredibly destructive and deculturating impact this had on the people who had lived in Hawaii for centuries prior to European arrival. Trask begins to explore these latter issues in this book, carefully exposing and then analyzing practices which reflect the attitudes and actions of colonial powers as they influence Native Hawaiian life today.
It may be difficult, even angering, for non-Hawaiians, like myself, to read this work but these reactions do not release us from the responsibility to understand and enage with the lived reality of Native Hawaiians. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering a vaction in Hawaii.
Alienation does not equal liberation..........2004-10-28
Although I think that what Professor Trask has to say definitely has validity and is a very important history to learn about, I also sense as a mainland-born, non-Hawaiian female, that her visceral anger and pain burn virtually all of the non-Hawaiian readers in her path. Hanauni-Kay Trask presents the bleak reality of Hawaii's history with colonizers, assorted oppressors, land developers and pollution and why it should not only be a sovereign, independent nation but that no one should come there looking for Don Ho and pina coladas, like the ad campaigns would have us believe. In fact, Haunani informs us--without mincing words--that the Non-Hawaiian presence is not welcome in any of the Hawaiian islands.
When I first digested her view of visitors to her Hawaii and the vast layers of corruption that have displaced her people, I shared her rage (even though I know she would never believe that, upon seeing me). Now, two years later, I really ask how she hoped to change the bleak situation through writing this book. It seems to me, she practices the same racist ideology that the colonists practiced when they took over in the first place! I know many would challenge my point and argue that she is merely taking back what is rightfully hers. I think that venom breeds more venom, and, in turn, that venom poisons all of us. (Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians)
Whether many of us want to admit it or not, we are all connected on an inner level as human beings, brothers and sisters on this planet, who have all been hurt, abused, or deceived in some way. This common bond also divides us. We choose to resolve or confront this pain in different ways. While some of us start wars, hold grudges with people who share the same eyes or skin color of our oppressors, and continue to be driven by our inherited anger from the generations or directly experienced discrimination; others come to accept that, regardless of race or national origin, each person on this earth is an individual. Some individuals whose ancestry comes from the oppressor are actually working to overthrow this system of oppression in a sincere and humble manner. It saddens me that Haunani cannot see that for herself and that her rage for the non-indigenous people continues with such force. It might surprise Professor Trask to know that there are numerous groups of non-Indigenous people who have experienced the same level of oppression her ancestors (and she) have had to face. Many of those on the receiving end of the violent genocides (the Holocaust, for example), bloody and ruthless revolutions (Russian as an example) and ethnic cleansings (the situation between Serbs and Croats) did not flee their countries to impose oppression on others. They came seeking sanctuary and an opportunity to culture peace and justice around them. I hope Haunani Kay-Trask will realize that we all really ARE struggling together.
Narcisism and Self-righteous Anger Do not a Scholar make........2002-04-07
Trask's writing is shocking. Her book presents an interesting alternative view of Hawaiian history as well as an interesting critique of Western thought (especially history and anthropology).
Unfortunately Trask's militant sensationalism, and self serving narcisism creep in and very nearly ruin the entire book. The pages are filled with self-glorifying pictures of Trask and her political pals. The articles focus almost entirely on Trask's own political actions, ignoring all other movements and all previous scholarship.
Trask's opinions are of course "interesting", but they are not based on any sort of sound historical or scientific evidence. The little bits of flimsy evidence she does cite are almost laughable in light of the kind of re-evalutations she is pushing for. Are the lyrics of a single song really proper cause for an entire re-evaluation of historical theory?
There are some very large holes in her arguments. So large, in fact, that virtually no scholars, american, European or otherwise, take her work seriously. In reality, very few native Hawaiians take her or her politics seriously either
Trask's personality really casts her argument into a deep, dark shadow. It's unfortunate that a more level headed person didn't undertake the writing of this book because it is actually quite interesting, and even enlightening at times.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on September 22, 2000. The length of the article is 589 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: FROM A NATIVE DAUGHTER: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i (Revised Edition).(Review)
Author: Felicia Beardsley
Publication:
Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2000
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: 73
Issue: 3
Page: 485
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Rambling Nonsense.......2007-05-13
This book was a complete disappointment. I was expecting a coherent explanation of the theological progression of the Heaven's Gate Cult. I was hoping especially for a discussion about the cycle of disillusionment and revitalization that occurred in the cult's history. What I got was a rambling series of non sequiturs trying to relate the cult to every mythological tidbit on the planet. I found myself skipping pages while the author would go off on some strange tangent. You know how some people cannot tell a story because they keep getting distracted. This was it. It's like the author had swallowed Joseph Campbell's collected works put them in a blender and poured it out. If a book ever needed an editor. This was it. Most of the time I donate books to libraries or thrift stores when I am finished with them. I am chucking this one into the recycle bin. Don't waste your money.
Average customer rating:
|
Playas of the Great Plains (Peter T. Flawn Series in Natural Resource Management and Conservation)
Loren M. Smith
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Wetlands
| Ecosystems
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Common Flora of the Playa Lakes
ASIN: 0292701772 |
Book Description
As a scientist, Loren Smith has made tremendous contributions to our understanding of playa ecology. Through
Playas of the Great Plains he makes a further contribution by helping a wider audience understand the uniqueness and importance of these signature features of the Southern Great Plains.
—
Great Plains Research
"This is a very significant contribution to the field of wetland ecology. Playa wetlands are very widespread and important, yet there have been few attempts to pull together all of the playa scientific articles and studies into one place. It is especially valuable that this book summarizes many of the recent scientific discoveries about these wetlands."
—Ted LaGrange, Wetland Program Manager, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Shallow wetlands that occur primarily in semi-arid to arid environments, playas are keystone ecosystems in the western Great Plains of North America. Providing irreplaceable habitat for native plants and animals, including migratory birds, they are essential for the maintenance of biotic diversity throughout the region. Playas also serve to recharge the aquifer that supplies much of the water for the Plains states. At the same time, however, large-scale habitat changes have endangered playas across the Great Plains, making urgent the need to understand their ecology and implement effective conservation measures.
This book provides a state-of-the-art survey of all that is currently known about Great Plains playa ecology and conservation. Loren Smith synthesizes his own extensive research with other published studies to define playas and characterize their origin, development, flora, fauna, structure, function, and diversity. He also thoroughly explores the human relationship with playas from prehistoric times, when they served as campsites for the Clovis peoples, to today's threats to playa ecosystems from agricultural activities and global climate change. A blueprint for government agencies, private conservation groups, and concerned citizens to save these unique prairie ecosystems concludes this landmark study.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Pollution, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The Southern High Plains (SHP) is a semi-arid region in which playa wetlands are the focal points of biodiversity. Playas are highly influenced by surrounding land use. Most of the SHP is in agricultural production (primarily cotton) with a history of arsenic-containing herbicide use. Metals influence reproduction and development in amphibians. We analyzed metal residues in playa sediment and whole body tissue of Spea spp. and Bufo cognatus metamorphs from two land uses: cropland and native grassland. Cd and Ni concentrations in B. cognatus tissues differed between land uses. Metal concentrations in Spea spp. tissues did not differ between land uses. Ba was higher in Spea spp. than B. cognatus collected from the same grassland playas, indicating differential habitat use. No correlations between sediment and tissue concentrations were found. Land use appeared to have little influence on metal concentrations and levels were below those known to cause effects in amphibians.
Average customer rating:
|
Mallard-like ducks in the Playa Lakes Region.: An article from: Wilson Bulletin
Alan M. Fedynich
Manufacturer: Wilson Ornithological Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Audiobooks
| Australia & Oceania
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Science & Technology
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| History
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| History
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Science
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B00093UBOS
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Wilson Bulletin, published by Wilson Ornithological Society on September 1, 1995. The length of the article is 1685 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: A study has been conducted to classify the Mallard-like ducks in the Playa Lakes Region in the Southern Great Plains based on their plumage characteristics, body mass, body length and wing length. Specimens that were collected in the region appeared consistent with descriptions of Mottled Ducks, with a few populations of Mexican Ducks. However, a number of phenotypically pure male or female ducks were mistaken with hybrid combinations. These results suggest that phenotypic characteristics cannot be used to determine the taxonomic status of Mallard-like ducks.
Citation Details
Title: Mallard-like ducks in the Playa Lakes Region.
Author: Alan M. Fedynich
Publication:
Wilson Bulletin (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1995
Publisher: Wilson Ornithological Society
Volume: v107
Issue: n3
Page: p548(4)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Delineating playas in the arid southwest: A literature review (Technical report ERDC)
William N Brostoff
Manufacturer: US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Engineering
| Specialty Stores
| Books
| Aerospace
| Automotive
| Bioengineering
| Chemical
| Civil
| Computer Technology
| Design
| Economics
| Education
| Electrical & Electronics
| Energy
| General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Management
| Materials
| Materials Science
| Mechanical
| Nuclear
| Patents & Inventions
| Petroleum, Mining & Geological
| Power Systems
| Reference
| Research
| Special Topics
| Telecommunications
| Welding
Lakes & Ponds
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Aerospace
| Automotive
| Bioengineering
| Chemical
| Civil
| Computer Technology
| Design
| Economics
| Education
| Electrical & Electronics
| Energy
| General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Management
| Marine
| Materials
| Materials Science
| Mechanical
| Nuclear
| Patents & Inventions
| Petroleum, Mining & Geological
| Power Systems
| Reference
| Research
| Special Topics
| Telecommunications
| Welding
ASIN: B0006ROYL8 |
Books:
- Marlborough: His Life and Times, Book One
- Mcclellan's War: The Failure Of Moderation In The Struggle For The Union
- My Journey into Alzheimer's Disease
- My Life in Baseball: The True Record
- My Life (Oxford World's Classics)
- My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr.
- My Many Years
- My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson (Modern Library Paperbacks)
- Namath (Icons of the NFL)
- Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Extreme Fat Smash Diet
- Come Closer: A Novel
- Coyote Frontier
- Cracking the GMAT with DVD, 2007 Edition
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 87th Edition
- Eisenhower & the Anti-Communist Crusade
- Surrealist Painters and Poets: An Anthology
- Backyard Wild Birds of the Pacific Northwest and Cal
- North American Trees: Third Edition
The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness
Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates
Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America's Premier Mental Hospital
Mad In America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and The Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
Madness: A Brief History
![Influence of land use on metal concentrations in playa sediments and amphibians in the Southern High Plains [An article from: Environmental Pollution]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21QM5SJZNYL.jpg)