During the 18th century medicine became an autonomous discipline and practice. Surgeons justified themselves as skilled practitioners and set themselves apart f

John Armstrong's 2000-line poem The Art of Preserving Health was among the most popular works of eighteenth-century literature and medicine. It was among the fi

As people of the modern era were singularly prone to nervous disorders, the nervous system became a model for describing political and social organization. This

Blake's combination of verse and design invites interdisciplinary study. The essays in this collection approach his work from a variety of perspectives includin

Madness and the Romantic Poet examines the longstanding and enduringly popular idea that poetry is connected to madness and mental illness. The idea goes back t