In this comprehensive history of psychiatry, Edward Shorter examines the
evolution of psychiatric theory and practice from the 18th century to the
present. The text argues for a return to "biological" roots and treatments of
mental illness, as opposed to "social" roots."A splendid book...engaging and excedingly well--written"--Journal of the
American Medical Association. "To compress 200 years of psychiatric theory and
practice into a compelling and coherent narrative is a fine achievement...What
strikes the reader [most] are Shorter's storytelling skills, his ability to
conjure up the personalities of the psychiatrists who shaped the discipline and
the conditions under which they and their patients lived."--Ray Monk, Night and
Day (the UK Sunday Mail magazine. Now in paper! Edward Shorter covers the
history of psychiatry from the late 18th century to the present. Supporting his
often provocative positions with the latest historical and scientific research,
he sounds the death knell for "talking" therapies and heralds a bright new age
of medical--based psychiatric treatments. EDWARD SHORTER (Toronto, Canada) is
the Hannah Professor in the History of Medicine at the University of Toronto
and the author of ten books, including the widely acclaimed The Making of the
Modern Family.
