University of Kent, UK.
Hist Psychiatry. 2021 Jun;32(2):176-194. doi: 10.1177/0957154X21989224. Epub 2021 Feb 9.
In this article I trace a history of the most ubiquitous visual symbol of madness: the staff. First, I argue that the staff, in its variants (such as the pinwheel) and with its attachments (such as an inflated bladder), represents madness as air. It thus represents madness as an invisible entity that must be made visible. Secondly, I claim that the staff - being iconic of other 'unwanted' categories such as vagabonds - represents the insane as outsiders. Also in this case, the staff serves the purpose of making madness visible. Through this interpretation I show that the urge to make madness visible outlives icons of insanity such as the staff, making it a constant presence in popular culture and medical practice.
在这篇文章中，我追溯了疯狂最常见的视觉象征——棍棒的历史。首先，我认为棍棒，及其变体（如风车）和附加物（如充气膀胱），将疯狂表现为空气。因此，它将疯狂表现为一种必须使其可见的无形实体。其次，我声称棍棒——作为其他“不受欢迎”的类别（如流浪汉）的象征——将精神错乱者视为局外人。在这种情况下，棍棒也起到了使疯狂可见的作用。通过这种解释，我表明，使疯狂可见的冲动超越了棍棒等疯狂的象征，使其在流行文化和医疗实践中始终存在。
