Annals of Insanity

Annals of Insanity by Dr. William Perfect stands as one of the earliest and most remarkable medical works devoted entirely to the study and treatment of mental illness. Written by an English physician and asylum keeper, this pioneering volume records clinical observations, case histories, and therapeutic approaches at a time when psychiatry was still in its infancy.

Dr. Perfect’s accounts provide rare insight into the daily realities of 18th-century asylum life, documenting both the sufferings of patients and the early efforts to treat them with care, restraint, and humane understanding. Blending medical rigor with compassion, he explores cases of melancholy, mania, delusion, and hysteria, offering a vivid portrait of how madness was perceived, diagnosed, and managed before the rise of modern psychiatry.

A foundational text in the history of mental health and psychological medicine, Annals of Insanity remains a vital historical document—revealing the origins of psychiatric thought and the gradual shift from punishment to treatment in the care of the insane.

Complete edition of Dr. William Perfect’s pioneering medical chronicle of insanity

Presents firsthand case studies from early English asylums

A landmark in the development of psychiatry and humane mental care

Essential for readers of medical history, psychology, and early psychiatry