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Full-Text Articles in History
“Long And Strenuous Duties In France:” Neurasthenia And Nervous Debility Among Canadian Nursing Sisters During The First World War, Ariane Gauthier
“Long And Strenuous Duties In France:” Neurasthenia And Nervous Debility Among Canadian Nursing Sisters During The First World War, Ariane Gauthier
Canadian Military History
This article endeavours to understand the strenuous circumstances which caused neurasthenia and nervous debility in Canadian nursing sisters during the First World War. By examining the treatment they received for their condition at the Canadian Red Cross X Special Hospital and at Northwood Hospital for Sick Sisters in Buxton, this article also explores how Canadian medical authorities handled the nurses’ treatment and momentarily challenged previous conceptions concerning mental illness in women.
Work And Madness: Overworked Men And Fears Of Degeneration, 1860s-1910s, Amy Milne-Smith
Work And Madness: Overworked Men And Fears Of Degeneration, 1860s-1910s, Amy Milne-Smith
History Faculty Publications
The very things that provided a Victorian man’s status, his self worth, and his identity could also lead him to lose his mind. This paradox is at the heart of this essay. Men breaking down under the pressure of hard work was disruptive in a society that was dependent on that overwork. This idea preoccupied Victorians, who worried that the pace of modern life could lead to broken nerves, low spirits, nervous collapse, and even suicide. Both doctors and sufferers believed that overtaxing one’s brain could lead to a complete mental breakdown requiring institutionalization. As asylums filled up with incurable …