BIROn - Birkbeck Institutional Research Online

Speaking for yourself: the medico-legal aspects of aphasia in nineteenth-century Britain

Lorch, Marjorie (2012) Speaking for yourself: the medico-legal aspects of aphasia in nineteenth-century Britain. In: Jacyna, L.S. and Casper, S.T. (eds.) The Neurological Patient in History. Rochester, UK: University of Rochester Press, pp. 63-80. ISBN 9781580464123.

[img] Text
5265.pdf - Author's Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only

Download (367kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Book synopsis: Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Tourette's, multiple sclerosis, stroke: all are neurological illnesses that create dysfunction, distress, and disability. With their symptoms ranging from impaired movement and paralysis to hallucinations and dementia, neurological patients present myriad puzzling disorders and medical challenges. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries countless stories about neurological patients appeared in newspapers, books, medical papers, and films. Often the patients were romanticized; indeed, it was common for physicians to cast neurological patients in a grand performance, allegedly giving audiences access to deep philosophical insights about the meaning of life and being. Beyond these romanticized images, however, the neurological patient was difficult to diagnose. Experiments often approached unethical realms, and treatment created challenges for patients, courts, caregivers, and even for patient advocacy organizations. In this kaleidoscopic study, the contributors illustrate how the neurological patient was constructed in history and came to occupy its role in Western culture.

Metadata

Item Type: Book Section
School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Depositing User: Sarah Hall
Date Deposited: 22 Nov 2012 10:30
Last Modified: 13 Jun 2025 09:28
URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/5265

Statistics

6 month trend
0Downloads
6 month trend
398Hits

Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.

Archive Staff Only (login required)

Edit/View Item
Edit/View Item