Practical Observations on Insanity

The third and final revised edition of the major work by English physician Joseph Mason Cox (1763-1818). Cox was one of the first medical graduates to specialise in the treatment of the insane. Throughout his career he advocated for more humane treatment of lunatics and maniacs. In this work he introduces his swinging technique, based on a design by Erasmus Darwin, of spinning a patient’s body round a vertical axis in a specially designed chair which would produce nausea, vomiting, and convulsions, but would ultimately lead to a restful slumber, which he believed to be a positive outcome for the maniacal. This copy warmly inscribed by Cox.