The Problem of Mental Deficiency by Mathew Thomson

The Problem of Mental Deficiency by Mathew Thomson

This volume studies the alarm about 'mental defectives' in Britain between 1870 and 1959, and the policies of segregation, community care,and sexual sterilization. It examines the origins of these central government policies, showing how they were practiced by health professionals and local authorities. In the OXFORD HISTORICAL MONOGRAPHS series.

This text clearly stands as the most significant account to-date of the social policies developed for those labelled as mentally and socially deficient* Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. *
In a fascinating chapter on the geography of mental deficiency, Thomson traces the different ways in which agencies sought to clarify the boundaries of defective behaviour while experts mapped out the transgressions of the urban slum dweller compare with the rural imbecile. * Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. *
this scholarly and well researched account of state policies between the late Victorian period and the postwar welfare state. * Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. *
This is a finely detailed, extensively researched and clearly narrated monograph that explores the historical backwaters of mental deficiency policies, particularly in the middle decades of the twentieth century ... Thomson succinctly exposes the ways in which the policies and administrative strategies employed by a variety of constituents were influenced not only by party politics but also by the class, gender, religious, professional, and economic interests of local and national actors ... a first-rate contribution to the neglected history of mental deficiency and social policy, one that sets a benchmark for future studies. * Mark Jackson, University of Exeter, Social History of Medicine, Vol 12, no 2, 1999 *
This first comprehensive study of mental deficiency... Thomson's complex, intriguing narrative. Thomson's book is an important statement that provides a welcome perspective on contemporary argument about the consequences of the deinstitutionalization of mental health services since the 1960's. * Richard A. Soloway, Albion *
If this detailed study does not provide as clear an account of the sterilization campaign as one might desire, its great strength lies in its careful portrayal of the continual rounds of conflicts and negotiations that underlay the treatment of the mentally deficient ... Thomson makes a good case that the very existence in Britain of so many competing groups prevented it from embracing the extremist eugenic measures of neighbouring states. * Angus McLaren, University of Victoria, EHR, Sept 99 *

Mathew Thomson is a Reader in History at the University of Warwick. He is the author of The Problem of Mental Deficiency and Psychological Subjects.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198206927
ISBN 10	0198206925
Title	The Problem of Mental Deficiency
Author	Mathew Thomson
Series	Oxford Historical Monographs
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	1998-03-12
Number of pages	360
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.