Idiocy, Imbecility and Insanity in Victorian Society

Stef Eastoe is a social and cultural historian, who has taught courses on the social history of medicine at several British universities. She specializes in the history of idiocy, welfare, and Victorian institutions, and has had work published in Journal of Victorian Culture and Landscape Research.

“Eastoe has produced a thoughtful, generous, and rich monograph that is well informed and deserves a wide readership beyond the academy. Above all, she raises important questions around how health and welfare systems approach the blurred divisions between acute and long-term care, which are as relevant today as they were in the nineteenth century.” (Louise Hide, Victorian Studies, Vol. 64 (3), 2022)“Idiocy, Imbecility and Insanity in Victorian Society starts with a stated goal to challenge works that emphasize narratives of repression and violence in the asylum. This is grounded in a both a desire to find the complexity of the patient experience and in the fact that the records do not record much explicit abuse at Caterham.” (Amy Milne-Smith, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 60 (2), April, 2021)

• Chapter 1: Introduction and the Roots of Caterham.- Chapter 2: Creating Caterham.- Chapter 3: Populating Caterham.- Chapter 4: Experiencing Caterham.- Chapter 5: Visualising Idiocy, Visualising Caterham.- Chapter 6: Geographies of Idiocy.- Chapter 7: Conclusion.