“Lucid writing is complemented by numerous illustrations of patients, buildings, the city of Fulton, and treatment activities such as occupational therapy. The book includes fascinating descriptions of the hospital’s social learning program and some of the state’s major figures in mental health, leaders who continue to shape mental health policy in Missouri. Anyone interested in either mental illness or the history of Missouri will be intrigued by this book. A joy to read from beginning to end and highly recommended.”—Missouri Historical Review
“Traces the origins and development of the first public psychiatric facility established west of the Mississippi River. The authors are to be commended for following the history of the hospital through the era of deinstitutionalization, a period often treated only as an afterword in asylum narratives. The authors’ extensive use of oral history material is interesting and welcome.”—The Annals of Iowa
“In charting this history, Lael, Brazos, and McMillen examine the enduring shadow of political patronage, evolving psychotherapy and new drugs, and the continuing challenge of overcrowding and chronic underfunding. They also touch upon issues of racial segregation and racism, emerging concerns for patients’ rights, the controversial boundary between criminality and insanity, and intersectional difficulties of class and gender.”—Choice
“A very important addition to the literature on the history of mental health in the United States that will reach beyond the boundaries of the region and state.” —Gregg Andrews, author of Insane Sisters: Or, the Price Paid for Challenging a Company Town