Dunkel L M
Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1983 Jul;71(3):274-81.
"Moral treatment" designates a period in American psychiatry in the first half of the nineteenth century when retreats and asylums, following the example of the York Retreat in England, began to offer humane care to the mentally ill. Patients had a close and personal relationship with the hospital superintendent or the resident physician; positive behavior was rewarded and patients were expected to exercise self-control. Moral treatment was marked by a well-ordered daily routine in which patients followed a therapeutic regimen of work and leisure activities. Reading was regarded as both therapeutic and recreational, and was highly recommended. For this reason, retreats and asylums maintained book collections and considered library services an important aspect of the patients' therapeutic program. This paper examines patients' library activities in eight early nineteenth-century mental hospitals where moral treatment was practiced.
“道德治疗”指的是19世纪上半叶美国精神病学发展中的一个时期,当时,效仿英国约克疗养院的模式,精神病院和收容所开始为精神疾病患者提供人道护理。患者与医院院长或住院医师保持密切的个人关系;积极行为会得到奖励,同时患者需要进行自我控制。道德治疗的特点是日常安排井然有序,患者遵循工作与休闲活动相结合的治疗方案。阅读被视为具有治疗和娱乐双重功效,因而得到大力推荐。出于这个原因,疗养院和收容所都收藏书籍,并将图书馆服务视为患者治疗方案的一个重要方面。本文考察了19世纪早期八家实施道德治疗的精神病院中患者的图书馆活动。