‘Mad-doctor’ was the name applied to medical practitioners involved in the care and treatment of the mentally ill. During the long eighteenth century (1680-1850), these mad-doctors were affected by the Enlightenment’s ideals of individuality, moralism, and personal freedom. This thesis explores the education of mad-doctors, the development and use of technologies used within public asylum care, and the shifting views on patient utility within Britain’s public asylums. It utilizes the works of contemporary scholars as well as primary sources that include journals, presentations, and reports from maddoctors, keepers, and ministerial overseers. By examining the influence of moral philosophers on Britain’s mad-doctors, it becomes clear that the Enlightenment explicitly impacted the treatment and care of the mentally ill throughout the long eighteenth century.
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