A Memoir of John Conolly, M.D., D.C.L

Providing enlightening details about the treatment of mental illness in the nineteenth century, this 1869 biography lauds Conolly's humane methods.

This 1869 biography of John Conolly (1794–1866), a pioneer in the humane treatment of the mentally ill, seeks to garner further institutional and international support for reform. Advocating the use of moral suasion and discipline over physical restraint, Conolly's work was initially controversial but eventually accepted and applauded.John Conolly (1794–1866) was a physician and alienist (psychiatrist) who worked with the mentally ill at the Hanwell County Asylum in Middlesex, where he introduced the principle of non-restraint. This action was at first controversial and met with strong opposition, but it served to further the cause of humane treatment, securing Conolly's reputation. Published in 1869, this biography was the last major work of Sir James Clark (1788–1870), a supporter of Conolly's enlightened methods. Clark himself had enjoyed a distinguished medical career, becoming a trusted physician and friend to Queen Victoria. Also reissued in this series are his Medical Notes on Climate, Diseases, Hospitals, and Medical Schools in France, Italy, and Switzerland (1820), The Influence of Climate in the Prevention and Cure of Chronic Diseases (1829) and A Treatise on Pulmonary Consumption (1835).