title: Scientific thought and the boundary of insanity and criminal responsibility.
abstract: The insanity defence is considered in terms of the operation of incommensurable scientific and legal discourses, a dualism which in turn is held to reflect individualist values. This analysis is used to explain both the recurring nature of medico-legal controversy and the historical results of the defence in Victorian England.
mesh_terms: D003417:Criminal Psychology; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*