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Wilfrid Laurier University

Neurasthenia

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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 Apr 2022

“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 Apr 2019

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 …