Observations on Insanity: An Account of the Morbid Appearances on Dissection

First published in the early nineteenth century, Observations on Insanity by John Haslam marks a crucial step in the medical and anatomical study of mental illness. Drawing from his long tenure as apothecary and physician at Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) in London, Haslam offers one of the earliest systematic attempts to connect the visible lesions of the brain with the manifestations of insanity observed in patients.

The work combines meticulous clinical observation with post-mortem examination, detailing the changes found in the nervous system of the insane and advancing the controversial idea that mental derangement could be traced to physical pathology. Haslam’s study bridges the gap between early psychiatry and neurological science, challenging the moral and spiritual interpretations of madness that dominated his age.

A foundational text in the history of psychiatry and neuropathology, this treatise captures the moment when madness began to be seen not merely as a disorder of the soul, but as an ailment of the body—subject to study, diagnosis, and compassion.

Complete edition of John Haslam’s groundbreaking medical study

Documents early clinical and anatomical research on insanity

Bridges the transition from moral to physiological theories of mental illness

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