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9780198206927

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<br> This book should be of interest to a wide range of readers. Thomson includes comparative material that takes the study beyond the confines of the British Isles, and his multi-leveled analysis holds value for historiography as an example of how the history of a medical/mental issue can be fruitfully examined in a broad social and political context. --American Historical Review<br> This is an excellent treatment of an important aspect of the British welfare state. --Choice<br>

`This text clearly stands as the most significant account to-date of the social policies developed for those labelled as mentally and socially deficient.' Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. `In a fascinating chapter on the geography of mental deficiency, Thomson traces the different ways in which agencies sought to clarify the boundaries of defective behaviour while experts mapped out the transgressions of the urban slum dweller compare with the rural imbecile.' Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. `this scholarly and well researched account of state policies between the late Victorian period and the postwar welfare state.' Joseph Melling, The Economic History Review, Vol.LIII, No.2, May 00. `This is a finely detailed, extensively researched and clearly narrated monograph that explores the historical backwaters of mental deficiency policies, particularly in the middle decades of the twentieth century ... Thomson succinctly exposes the ways in which the policies and administrative strategies employed by a variety of constituents were influenced not only by party politics but also by the class, gender, religious, professional, and economic interests of local and national actors ... a first-rate contribution to the neglected history of mental deficiency and social policy, one that sets a benchmark for future studies.' Mark Jackson, University of Exeter, Social History of Medicine, Vol 12, no 2, 1999 `This first comprehensive study of mental deficiency... Thomson's complex, intriguing narrative. Thomson's book is an important statement that provides a welcome perspective on contemporary argument about the consequences of the deinstitutionalization of mental health services since the 1960's.' Richard A. Soloway, Albion `If this detailed study does not provide as clear an account of the sterilization campaign as one might desire, its great strength lies in its careful portrayal of the continual rounds of conflicts and negotiations that underlay the treatment of the mentally deficient ... Thomson makes a good case that the very existence in Britain of so many competing groups prevented it from embracing the extremist eugenic measures of neighbouring states.' Angus McLaren, University of Victoria, EHR, Sept 99

This book should be of interest to a wide range of readers. Thomson includes comparative material that takes the study beyond the confines of the British Isles, and his multi-leveled analysis holds value for historiography as an example of how the history of a medical/mental issue can be fruitfully examined in a broad social and political context. --American Historical Review<br> This is an excellent treatment of an important aspect of the British welfare state. --Choice<br>

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