Routledge Witchcraft and Hysteria in Elizabethan London Book

Explore the historical intersection of medicine and superstition in Elizabethan London with this scholarly work from Routledge. This book examines the period when witchcraft was at its height and investigates how Edward Jorden challenged prevailing beliefs. Jorden argued that hysteria, rather than demonic influence, was the true cause behind the witch-craze. By analyzing Jorden's 1603 pamphlet, 'Briefe Discourse of a Disease Called the Suffocation of the Mother,' readers gain insight into how the concept of hysteria was introduced into English psychiatry. This text is credited with helping to reclaim those thought to be demoniacally possessed for the field of medicine. The volume provides a reassessment of why Jorden wrote his famous pamphlet and places his work within its actual historical context. To provide a complete view of the era's debates, the book brings Jorden's pamphlet together with works from his adversaries, including John Swann. This is an essential resource for students and researchers interested in the history of psychiatry and the evolution of medical thought.