Certified
- Type:
Reviews
- Author:
Hf G. Woodley. Victor Gollancz.
9s. 6d.
This book is “an autobiographical study”… “the very human story of a man who found himself certified insane and confined within one of our asylums. … He at once set about turning evil to good by making a point blank study of insanity… He experimented upon himself and his companions, and gained much insight into this complex subject “.
So says the publisher’s ” blurb one may, however, find it easier to accept the first phrase than the rest of this quotation: the good which results is not entirely unmixed, the nature of the experiments is not always clear, and the insight is sometimes scarcely apparent. This is a pity, for Mr. Woodley’s sincerity and energy are obvious, and his style is vivid; so that his book could do much to improve mental hospital conditions by mobilizing public opinion towards their reform. The need to improve much in these institutions is accepted by all concerned in the matter; and it is easy to see their practical difficulties in the shape of lack of staff, lack of accommodation, lack of popular sympathy and understanding. Unfortunately, the constructive suggestions which Mr. Woodley makes are few, and not likely to help either the medical profession or the general public. He considers that the causes of lunacy, for example, can be removed by educating the people about sex, and about the far reaching effects of venereal disease. Moreover, his condemnation of shock treatment and his comment ” not only is there no treatment for mental disorders but there is absolutely none whatever for physical ailments ” is likely to do untold harm. It is, of course, the opposite of the facts and will discourage many from seeking treatment at an early enough stage, and so is diametrically opposed to the work of those trying to educate public opinion in this matter. It thus must contribute to the stigma and fear of mental illness which Mr. Woodley elsewhere, so rightly, decries.
There is also the danger that Mr. Woodley’s style and other inaccuracies may discredit his whole book, and so let his readers think that the story is quite incredible, or in fact the content of his own mental illness. This would be a pity, for his account of conditions in wards is probably applicable enough to some understaffed and under-financed hospitals whose authorities would welcome any attempt to raise public opinion to support them in their attempts at reform. R.F.T.
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