tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post4071366198064683109..comments2024-02-28T04:16:37.844-05:00Comments on History Undressed: Guest Blogger - Delle Jacobs on Lunacy LawsEliza Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-62756869843947003022009-05-26T09:50:00.341-04:002009-05-26T09:50:00.341-04:00Wonderful post, and wonderful comments. The wrongf...Wonderful post, and wonderful comments. The wrongful diagnosis of mental illness, especially when it comes to vulnerable women is still around. All it takes is a bully, and people who are willing to ignore his actions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-32972389064461224222009-05-23T15:18:02.524-04:002009-05-23T15:18:02.524-04:00A very interesting piece, Delle. And sad. Placed i...A very interesting piece, Delle. And sad. Placed in that situation,I would make my plans, and run away.Gerri Bowenhttp://www.gerribowen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-87895185240748159862009-05-23T10:00:43.245-04:002009-05-23T10:00:43.245-04:00Great article, Delle. I too am moved by the power...Great article, Delle. I too am moved by the powerlessness of 19th century women. In my book, BLIND FORTUNE, Lady Fortuna Morley is convinced no decent man will have her because she's blind. Her greatest fear is that, once a husband gets his hands on her money, he'll lock her away in an asylum. <br />I look forward to reading SINS OF THE HEART!Joanna Waughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08053211782268427159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-54842794124669011982009-05-23T01:19:05.732-04:002009-05-23T01:19:05.732-04:00Wonderful post... I'm doing an urban fantasy with ...Wonderful post... I'm doing an urban fantasy with a teenaged heroine who had been wrongfully hospitalized, and my research has shown some similar issues still going on today. At any rate, my character's need to "run or die" is precisely the same. Looking forward to reading your take on our common theme!<br /><br />Fiona VanceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-85311314180946317222009-05-23T00:40:32.699-04:002009-05-23T00:40:32.699-04:00I agree, Susan. One reason I want to write histor...I agree, Susan. One reason I want to write historical novels is that I don't want women to become complacent about their status in the world. It was a hard fight to get where we are today.<br /><br />Vonnie, it's not about mental institutions- it's about staying out of them. And that's a pretty hairy fight.Delle Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551688823035092802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-12442343453195613392009-05-23T00:36:47.590-04:002009-05-23T00:36:47.590-04:00Anonymous, I'm very sympathetic with that terrible...Anonymous, I'm very sympathetic with that terrible situation you faced. My very brilliant younger brother was prevented from taking any math courses but Basic Math in high school. I went to see the guidance counselor (who happened to be the same one who laughed in my face when I said I wanted to be a medical doctor- I was a straight A student). She laughed again and said, "You're going to have to face the fact that your brother is retarded."<br /><br />Well, the Navy gave him a great education, and he worked on the design team of some of the early nuclear submarines. And he has a number of computer-related inventions to hs credit.Delle Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551688823035092802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-88706977601296543262009-05-22T23:06:25.047-04:002009-05-22T23:06:25.047-04:00Delle,
I absolutely love the line, "she knew she ...Delle,<br /><br />I absolutely love the line, "she knew she had to run or die." Such suspense and mystery. This one line sums up your heroine's action in a nutshell. It's also makes for great advertising for your novel.<br /><br />Knowing that your book involves a mental hospital makes it even more interesting. As always, you know how to hook the reader with a gripping plot. Now more than ever, I'm looking forward to reading your latest release. I just need to find the time.....Vonnie Altonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-81163644067292732562009-05-22T21:45:26.981-04:002009-05-22T21:45:26.981-04:00Thank you so much for being here Delle! Fascinati...Thank you so much for being here Delle! Fascinating article! Congrats on your release :)Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-16336836320990013962009-05-22T16:22:41.090-04:002009-05-22T16:22:41.090-04:00Great post, Delle!! I'm with your character. If I ...Great post, Delle!! I'm with your character. If I was in danger of being locked up, I would've run off too and kept on going. <br /><br />The push for women's rights did us all a big favor.Susan Macateehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07476340887041053638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-4587827464974848352009-05-22T14:19:18.883-04:002009-05-22T14:19:18.883-04:00Thank you, Nancy! Such a compliment from you mean...Thank you, Nancy! Such a compliment from you means a great deal to me!<br /><br />Lady Mary Wortley Montagu made a chilling statement that probably echoes the beliefs of many: "Any girl that runs away with a young fellow, without intending to marry him, should be carried to Bridewell, or to Bedlam the next day."<br /><br />The "wandering, or traveling, womb", thought to be the cause of Hysteria, was thought of as "an animal within an animal", a sinister and mostly unknown organ with powers of its own that had the ability to work its way up to other organs and choke them-- even up to the throat. <br /><br />So it appears women had a mental illness that originated in an entirely different location than men. But perhaps that isn't really so difficult to comprehend since women's brains were considered so useless. to be away for a few hours, including about three hours of driving time, but I'll be back by mid-afternoon, my time and will check in with your then.Delle Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551688823035092802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-90812049848958978282009-05-22T14:07:10.499-04:002009-05-22T14:07:10.499-04:00Thank you for writing about this. In the mid70's ...Thank you for writing about this. In the mid70's the psychologist at my elementary school recommended institutionalization for me because she'd decided that my idiopathic epilepsy was actually mental deficiency. It was only because of my outraged family and the efforts of my dedicated pediatrician that she withdrew her recommendation. How many other children, without the outrage and dedication, did she diagnose in this manner? How many are diagnosed this way still?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-24139844762482630502009-05-22T13:45:18.320-04:002009-05-22T13:45:18.320-04:00It might be just me, but I think stories of women ...It might be just me, but I think stories of women being incarcerated in a mad house are among the scariest things in the world. I know a woman who was suffering from post partum depression and from the real infidelity of the husband who was sent to an insane asylum and given electro shocks and had a frontal lobotomy in mid 20th century. <br />They didn't have the electric shocks or the lobotomy in the early 19th century, but the woman could be kept a prisoner there .<br /> I am trying to rewrite a story I have about a woman who was incarcerated in a private asylum. The people who have looked at the WIP have all wondered if the husband was a villain or hero . Have to find a way to change it so he is more heroic, or finally make her a widow with another love interest.<br />Delle always writes interesting stories. Nothing of a formula about them.Nancy Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-73564896802636324362009-05-22T13:16:53.278-04:002009-05-22T13:16:53.278-04:00Thanks, Gwynlyn! I agree- when we look at the way...Thanks, Gwynlyn! I agree- when we look at the way people viewed their world and other people in the past, it's hard to comprehend. It's really hard to get into the historical mindset. But here's a mitigating factor for you:<br /><br />Remember the state of medicine in general then. It was still more medieval- that is, based on beliefs, than it was scientific. <br /><br />Anesthesia, germs, x-rays, even a good knowledge of the body's workings, were all still unknown. So when you were sick or injured, you expected any medical intervention to be painful at best. <br /><br />Everybody believed that bleeding was good for you. The belief of the day was in the four humors that regulated the body and they had to be brought back into balance to restore health.<br /><br />Some doctors who treated the mentally ill acknowledged their treatments were ineffective, but they had nothing else so they just kept on using them, rather than to do nothing.<br /><br />In 1815, things began to change, with the hospital moved to a more remote location. It was understood by most that since society was believed to be the trigger for mental illness, it was important to remove the patients from society. <br /><br />The real difficulty is, and always has been, power over the vulnerable. We can see enormous cruelty over the helpless and vulnerable today. As it was then, we need to recognize that power does corrupt those who can be corrupted. And vigilance is and will always be necessary.<br /><br />My story takes place in 1813, and although I mention nothing about it, I like to think my hero and heroine became involved in the changes that were to come, because they were people who cared.Delle Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551688823035092802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-53825818860965784812009-05-22T11:02:13.861-04:002009-05-22T11:02:13.861-04:00Way to go, Delle. It's hard to believe the "civil...Way to go, Delle. It's hard to believe the "civilized" people of the world could be so unfeeling, but it's a sad truth. <br /><br />The unscrupulous, as always, found ways to exploit it to their benefit while the rest looked the other way, some from ignorance, some from helplessness, and some just because it didn't effect them directly. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)<br /><br />Can't wait to read your book. I hope it's the first of many.Gwynlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13131507614528809505noreply@blogger.com