Medicine at the University of Toronto and Academic Hospitals
The history of the Faculty of Medicine is traced from its origins as a modest provincial institution to its emergence as a leading international medical powerhouse. Edward Shorter, a senior medical historian and acclaimed author, provides an in-depth exploration of this transformation, highlighting key developments and milestones that shaped its evolution over time.
This first historical dictionary of psychiatry spans topics from autism to Vienna, detailing key concepts, figures, places, and institutions that have influenced the field and the neurosciences. An introductory section contextualizes broad trends and international variations, supported by an extensive bibliography for further exploration. Each entry outlines significant dates, themes, and personalities related to the topic, with longer entries delving into the development of conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and psychotherapy. The dictionary serves as a quick reference for the timeline of psychiatric advancements, methods, and contributors. It also addresses social themes such as "women in psychiatry," "criminality and psychiatry," and "homosexuality and psychiatry." A comprehensive index enhances accessibility to topics not listed alphabetically. Clinicians can explore the origins of terms like "paranoia" and "SSRIs," while basic scientists can reference developments in "neurotransmitters" and "neuroimaging." Medical history students can position psychiatric narratives within broader events, and the general public can learn about relevant illnesses affecting their lives. Drawing from English, French, German, Italian, and Scandinavian sources, this dictionary is grounded in extensive primary research, charting the evolution of psychiatry throughout Western society.
Von ihren Anfängen in den finsteren Verliesen des 18. Jahrhunderts über die humaneren Anstalten des 19. Jahrhunderts bis hin zu den diskret verborgenen Sanatorien unserer Tage verfolgt Shorter die Entwicklung der Psychiatrie - und legt damit eine einzigartige Kulturgeschichte der menschlichen Seele vor.
Psychosomatische Erkrankungen entstehen im Zusammenspiel von genetischen und kulturellen Faktoren. Shorter geht der Frage nach, wie kulturspezifisches Krankheitsverhalten entsteht. Er begreift den Vorgang des Erkrankens ohne Vorliegen eine s organischen Befundes als eine Gemeinschaftsfunktion des biologisch gesteuerten Gehirns und der gesellschaftlich konditionierten Psyche. Viele zum Teil illustre Fallgeschichten belegen diesen Ansatz.
Now in paper! Writing in a charged, highly-accessible style, Edward Shorter covers the history of psychiatry from the late 18th century to the present.
