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Edward Charles Spitzka scrapbook on insanity and psychiatry

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-801-04-003

Scope and Contents

These papers, collected by Edward Charles Spitzka, contain newspaper, magazine, and medical journal clippings from 1895 to 1903 that describe the research, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness, or “insanity.” Some of the clippings diagnose particular individuals with "insanity" (especially regarding crimes and in court), while others provide information about the frequency of "insanity" among the population or in gender groups. Other clippings describe patterns in journalism about "insanity."

Dates

  • Creation: 1895-1903

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

Edward Charles Spitzka was born in New York City, New York on November 10, 1852. He attended the College of the City of New York and the University of New York, studying medicine. He then studied further in Europe until 1876, when he returned to New York to practice medicine involving the central nervous system. At this point, he researched brains of animals and became more interested in mental health medicine as an early American psychologist. He joined the American Neurological Association in 1877, and held various leadership positions at regional neurological organizations as well. He is famed for testifying in the trial of Charles Guiteau, the assassin of president James A. Garfield, in 1881. In 1883, he published a groundbreaking manual on the diagnoses of mental illness, Treatise on Insanity: Its Classification, Diagnosis, and Treatment, and continued to do neurological research, discovering parts of the brains in many different animals. He had one child, Edward Anthony Spitzka, with Catherine Wacek, his wife. Spitzka died in 1914.

Extent

.25 linear ft. (1 volume)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

A scrapbook of newspaper, magazine, and medical journal clippings from 1895 to 1903 that describe the research, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness, or “insanity,” compiled by Edward Charles Spitzka.

Arrangement

This collection consists of one volume, with the clippings ordered by the creator.

Acquisition

The Edward Charles Spitzka scrapbook on insanity and psychiatry was purchased by Special Collections, Haverford College from Read'Em Again Books.

Related Materials

HC.MC.1261 Friends Hospital records

Processing Information

Processed by Alice Berry and Sarah Horowitz; completed September, 2018.

Title
Edward Charles Spitzka scrapbook on insanity and psychiatry, 1895-1903
Author
Alice Berry and Sarah Horowitz
Date
September, 2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Library

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Haverford PA 19041 USA US