'Madness' and the supernatural
History Extra podcast
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Technological Advances and Supernatural Beliefs in the Age of Asylums
This chapter delves into the early days of psychiatry and the asylum movement in relation to technological advancements during the 19th century, exploring how some people interpreted these advancements as supernatural forces being used against them. It discusses cases of mesmerism, invisible powers, telegraphs, telephones, and how people attributed strange feelings to their neighbors using invisible batteries, shedding light on how technology was perceived through a supernatural lens.
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