Criticisms of the psychopathological interpretation of witch hunts: a review

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.139.8.1028

Abstract

The psychopathological interpretation of the European witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries, which has been prominent in histories of psychiatry, contends that demonology overwhelmed psychiatry in the late middle Ages, with the result that the mentally ill were executed by the thousands as witches. The author reviews the criticisms and contrary evidence that have been brought to bear on this paradigm in the past 20 years, including critiques of its data collection and interpretation, historical evidence which has failed to support its contentions, and questions about its implicit approach to the history and philosophy of science.

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Published In

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 139 • Number 8 • August 1982

Pages: 1028 - 1032

PubMed: 7046480

History

Published in print: August 1982

Published online: 1 April 2006

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Criticisms of the psychopathological interpretation of witch hunts: a review

Abstract

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