Early Tudor medical opinion believed there were 5
types of mental disease: MELANCHOLIA (depression
and apathy); MANIA (violent action); DELIRIUM
(abnormal behavior accompanied by fever); AMENTIA
(lack or complete loss of mental abilities); and PHRENITIS
(inflammation of the brain.) Also, epilepsy was believed to be a
mental illness. (Also, there was a disease called lycanthropy - a
fascination with cemeteries and wild animals.) All of these were
supposedly caused by an abundance of black bile in the body. The
bile caused evil 'humors' to flood the brain, thus resulting in mental
illness. The most common of these illnesses was melancholy.
Women were far more likely to suffer from it than men.
In some cases, demonic possession was also a possibility;
priests were often summoned to 'exorcise' an epileptic fit. In other
cases, people were regarded as 'holy fools', possessed by Christ and displaying
the sort of extreme behavior long noted in pious fanatics. There
were also victims of lunacy (or moon-struck); this illness hearkened back
to pre-Christian traditions in England.
What happened to these people, victims of such disturbing
illnesses - which resulted in equally disturbed behavior? In some
cases, herbal remedies were prescribed (such as peony root worn around
the neck.) Soothing music and warm baths were also popular (and remain
so today!) Blood-letting was far more popular, however; it was believed
to be as effective with mental diseases as physical. Combined with
purgatives, bleeding reduced the ill to some degree of weakness - and quiet.
In extreme cases, the evil 'humor' was drained from the brain in a process
called trepanation.
Early Tudor England responded to mental illnesses
much the same as our society does - by asking whether the individual posed
a threat to society at large. It the person was non-violent, they
were left free or in custody of their families. If the person was
poor or had no family, they roamed the streets as 'eccentric' beggars -
much like the urban homeless today. But if the victim was violent,
they were confined, most likely in a hospital like St Mary of Bethlehem
in London, called Bedlam.
Note: Under the law, the mentally ill were divided into 2 groups. (1) IDIOTS, whose illness was evident from birth; the king had custody of these people - and their property. The king was responsible for their care until death; then the property reverted to their heirs. If there were no heirs, the property remained with the king. (2) LUNATICS (non compos mentis), whose illness developed after birth. Since they were considered capable of becoming sane again, their lands remained under their control (with familial supervision.)
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Life in Tudor England
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Tudor England
written by Marilee