Ruth Harris – författare

Winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2010 and the 2010 National Jewish Book Award for BiographyRuth Harris writes beautifully and engagingly on a moment in French history that polarized society and undermined the French state; the repercussions of which were felt up to the outbreak of the Second World War.At the end of September 1894 a charlady stole an undated and unsigned letter from the wastepaper bin of the German military attaché in Paris. Torn to pieces but stuck back together by French intelligence, this document contained French military secrets. By the middle of October a Jewish captain in the army called Alfred Dreyfus was accused of being its author. As it turned out, he was entirely innocent, but at the time few questioned the verdict of the subsequent court martial, nor the unanimous decision to sentence him to a life of penal servitude. Public opinion was outraged, and the War Minister, General Auguste Mercier, asked for the reintroduction of the death penalty so Dreyfus could be guillotined. Although the request was turned down, Dreyfus was still subjected to special conditions: rather than going to New Caledonia like other transported convicts, he was sent to the much harsher Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana, and condemned to solitary confinement in murderous conditions. The French authorities did not expect - and probably did not want - him to survive.So undisputed was Dreyfus' conviction that no one had any inkling it would be queried, let alone that the case would become the scandal that nearly brought down the French state. It changed the political course of the nation and transformed the way the country viewed itself and was viewed by others.

Lourdes was at the very centre of nineteenth century debates on religion, science and medicine. Both the Church and secularists championed the 'miracle' town as crucial in shaping how society should think about the mind, body and spirit. Since the ‘visions’ of Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 transformed the quiet Pyrenean town into an international tourist and pilgrimage destination, it has been a site for controversy. In her well-crafted and carefully researched book, Harris deftly places Lourdes and its attendant spiritual movement firmly at the centre of French history and shows its significance in the country’s development.

Murders and Madness examines the French debate over crime and madness in the fin de siècle. Ruth Harris argues that psychiatric theories of human behaviour and new sociological interpretations of crime combined to undermine the traditional foundations of the penal system and helped to shape the new science of criminology. Traditional notions of free will and moral responsibility were eroded as new and often draconian strategies evolved from managerial practices developed mainly by medical men.This book offers a detailed examination of the radical politique criminelle they devised. Through a series of case studies, she looks specifically at discussions of feminine hysteria and women's sexuality; male alcoholism and racial degeneration; crimes of passion, crowd violence and revolutionary politics.

Murders and Madness examines the French debate over crime and madness in the fin de siècle. She argues that psychiatric theories of human behaviour and new sociological interpretations of crime combined to undermine the traditional foundations of the penal system and helped to shape the new science of criminology. As a result, traditional notions of free will and moral responsibility were eroded as new and often draconian strategies evolved from managerial practices developed mainly by medical men.This book offers a detailed examination of the radical politique criminelle they devised. Harris breaks down the conventional boundaries between intellectual and social history by linking the often esoteric formulations of the professionals to the defendants' own mental anguish and emotional despair. Both aspects were involved in developing the meaning of moral and social responsibility in 'modern society'. She demonstrates how the debate over crime and madness, aired during the courtroom trials, repeatedly touched on some of the most widespread anxieties of the era which focused on the politics of gender and class. Through a series of case studies, she looks specifically at discussions of feminine hysteria and women's sexuality; male alcoholism and racial degeneration; crimes of passion, crowd violence and revolutionary politics.

Originally published in 1991 as part of the Tavistock Classics in the History of Psychiatry series, this re-edition of J-M. Charcot’s Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Nervous System provides a unique opportunity to examine the work of one of the last century’s most controversial and admired physicians. Widely esteemed for his work in neuropathology, Charcot was also an innovator in the study of hysteria, making important contributions to its study in both women and men.The Clinical Lectures reproduced here are especially important for two key reasons. First, they provide insight into Charcot’s often neglected study of male hysteria, especially traumatic shock, as well as, hysteria among children. Secondly, they give an opportunity to examine his clinical method and style. His presentations and scholarly compilations greatly influenced an entire generation of French and other physicians interested in the study of the ‘unconscious’ during the turn of the century.The introduction, which precedes the work, places the volume in its social, political and historical context. It highlights the key features of the historiographical debate surrounding Charcot, which ranges in scope from the social and intellectual history of the Third Republic through that of early psychoanalysis. It then proceeds with an examination of the key themes – both substantive and methodological – underlying Charcot’s researches, providing both a general entrée into the history of medicine and society in this period, as well as an explication du texte which carefully analyses the lectures themselves.

Originally published in 1991 as part of the Tavistock Classics in the History of Psychiatry series, this re-edition of J-M. Charcot’s Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Nervous System provides a unique opportunity to examine the work of one of the last century’s most controversial and admired physicians. Widely esteemed for his work in neuropathology, Charcot was also an innovator in the study of hysteria, making important contributions to its study in both women and men.The Clinical Lectures reproduced here are especially important for two key reasons. First, they provide insight into Charcot’s often neglected study of male hysteria, especially traumatic shock, as well as, hysteria among children. Secondly, they give an opportunity to examine his clinical method and style. His presentations and scholarly compilations greatly influenced an entire generation of French and other physicians interested in the study of the ‘unconscious’ during the turn of the century.The introduction, which precedes the work, places the volume in its social, political and historical context. It highlights the key features of the historiographical debate surrounding Charcot, which ranges in scope from the social and intellectual history of the Third Republic through that of early psychoanalysis. It then proceeds with an examination of the key themes – both substantive and methodological – underlying Charcot’s researches, providing both a general entrée into the history of medicine and society in this period, as well as an explication du texte which carefully analyses the lectures themselves.

From the Wolfson History Prize–winning author of The Man on Devil’s Island, the definitive biography of Vivekananda, the Indian monk who shaped the intellectual and spiritual history of both East and West.Few thinkers have had so enduring an impact on both Eastern and Western life as Swami Vivekananda, the Indian monk who inspired the likes of Freud, Gandhi, and Tagore. Blending science, religion, and politics, Vivekananda introduced Westerners to yoga and the universalist school of Hinduism called Vedanta. His teachings fostered a more tolerant form of mainstream spirituality in Europe and North America and forever changed the Western relationship to meditation and spirituality.Guru to the World traces Vivekananda’s transformation from son of a Calcutta-based attorney into saffron-robed ascetic. At the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he fascinated audiences with teachings from Hinduism, Western esoteric spirituality, physics, and the sciences of the mind, in the process advocating a more inclusive conception of religion and expounding the evils of colonialism. Vivekananda won many disciples, most prominently the Irish activist Margaret Noble, who disseminated his ideas in the face of much disdain for the wisdom of a “subject race.” At home, he challenged the notion that religion was antithetical to nationalist goals, arguing that Hinduism was intimately connected with Indian identity.Ruth Harris offers an arresting biography, showing how Vivekananda’s thought spawned a global anticolonial movement and became a touchstone of Hindu nationalist politics a century after his death. The iconic monk emerges as a counterargument to Orientalist critiques, which interpret East-West interactions as primarily instances of Western borrowing. As Vivekananda demonstrates, we must not underestimate Eastern agency in the global circulation of ideas.

Nearly half of the world’s adult population is either clinically obese or overweight. Excess weight increases risk for multiple other chronic diseases and represents a major global health issue. Weight gain results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, which can only be corrected if the physiologic and neuroendocrine systems that have the potential to control energy balance are identified. The first edition of this book reviewed knowledge on the intake of micro- and macronutrients, food choice, and opposing views on whether or not there are mechanisms that control food intake. Appetite and Food Intake: Central Control, Second Edition contains all new chapters and serves as a companion to the first by reviewing current knowledge on neuroendocrine mechanisms that influence food intake and glucose metabolism, including environmental influences on their development, with an emphasis on recent progress in understanding forebrain and hindbrain control of ingestive behavior.In addition, there is a discussion on the benefits derived from novel models for exploring ingestive behavior and the progress that has been achieved due to new technologies. Although major progress is being made in understanding the complex interplay between different control systems, the limits of our knowledge are acknowledged in chapters that review the efficacy of current weight control drugs and the relative importance of fat free mass and body fat in driving food intake.

Nearly half of the world’s adult population is either clinically obese or overweight. Excess weight increases risk for multiple other chronic diseases and represents a major global health issue. Weight gain results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, which can only be corrected if the physiologic and neuroendocrine systems that have the potential to control energy balance are identified. The first edition of this book reviewed knowledge on the intake of micro- and macronutrients, food choice, and opposing views on whether or not there are mechanisms that control food intake. Appetite and Food Intake: Central Control, Second Edition contains all new chapters and serves as a companion to the first by reviewing current knowledge on neuroendocrine mechanisms that influence food intake and glucose metabolism, including environmental influences on their development, with an emphasis on recent progress in understanding forebrain and hindbrain control of ingestive behavior.In addition, there is a discussion on the benefits derived from novel models for exploring ingestive behavior and the progress that has been achieved due to new technologies. Although major progress is being made in understanding the complex interplay between different control systems, the limits of our knowledge are acknowledged in chapters that review the efficacy of current weight control drugs and the relative importance of fat free mass and body fat in driving food intake.

An easy-to-use resource for professionals and parents, this book is full of fun and practical ideas to help motivate and extend communication and play skills in children with autism with the support of pictures. It contains 40 visual scripts across a range of different activities such as drawing, cooking, imaginative play, and life skills.