Asylums, Moral Management and Music

Abstract

The history of asylums in nineteenth-century England demonstrates increasing intervention by the state, a gradual medicalisation and the standardisation of practice from the middle of the century, due to the work of the Commissioners in Lunacy, professional organisations, and the publication and travel of key Medical Superintendents. Underlying much of the work of asylums was the principle of moral management, which led to the introduction of both employment and recreational activities within asylum institutions. Music was widely accepted as a significant element of moral management and was discussed in important texts by influential medics including George Mann Burrows and William Ellis.