Treatment or punishment? A nineteenth-century scandal.
In psychiatry the relationship between treatment and punishment is variable and ambiguous. It has always been possible to employ physical methods of treatment for punitive ends, against which the introduction of liberal policies is no complete safeguard. Indulging one's personal animosities towards a difficult or violent patient has always been condemned, but the motives of a psychiatrist may be particularly easily misconstrued. These inherent risks in a psychiatrist's situation are illustrated by a case from the 19th century.
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004739:England; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009042:Motivation; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D011639:Public Opinion; D011678:Punishment