Bedlam
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 10 May 2022
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Bedlam: a scene of uproar and confusion, a noisy situation with no order or, originally, the slang name for a mental hospital in London… which for a while also happened to be a popular tourist attraction.
From chains on the wall to leeching - the history of mental health treatments is a lesson in questionable science and humanity.
Bethlehem hospital, founded around the 11th century in London, is a study of this history.
Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Catharine Arnold: journalist, academic, popular historian and author of ‘Bedlam: London and Its Mad’.
*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health*
Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.
Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.
This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from an American public service announcement from 1952.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just a quick one from me, I should warn you that this episode contains description of mental health conditions and their historical treatment, some of which can be quite upsetting. |
| 0:14.0 | They've all learned habits of good living, that have helped them stay physically healthy, but there's another side to good health, and that's good mental health. |
| 0:31.0 | What do you think Bedlam is? Is it a crowd rushing to a football match, Black Friday in a shopping centre, or a tail back on a motorway? |
| 0:39.0 | It's Bedlam! But what was Bedlam? |
| 0:43.0 | Bedlam was a medieval hospital for the mentally ill. |
| 0:47.0 | Its history is really dark and troubling. Did you know, for example, that the people of London wants paid good money to go and look at the patients, or rather the inmates of Bedlam? |
| 0:58.0 | Today on Betwix the Sheets, I, Kate Lister, and delving into this rather dark and troubling history. |
| 1:06.0 | What do you look for on a man? |
| 1:07.0 | Oh, money of course. |
| 1:09.0 | You're supposed to rise when an adult speaks to you. |
| 1:11.0 | I make perfect copies of whatever my father needs. I just turn him in love and push him in love. |
| 1:23.0 | Yes, social courtesy does make a difference. |
| 1:26.0 | Goodness, I can't look down. Goodness, I've nothing to do with it during. |
| 1:35.0 | Hello, and welcome back to Betwix the Sheets, the History of Sex, Scandal in Society with me, Kate Lister. |
| 1:41.0 | As now, I think it has expected this episode may contain some fruity language and some adult themes. |
| 1:47.0 | One of the most important questions from the history of mental health is, |
| 1:51.0 | just who was considered to be mad, and who was doing the considering? |
| 1:56.0 | When we look at the history, it didn't take much, wayward wives, people with learning difficulties, |
| 2:01.0 | just the elderly sometimes, were all condemned as insane and locked away in these hospitals. |
| 2:06.0 | In this episode from our special series for Mental Health Week, I'm going to find out why this was thought to be acceptable, |
| 2:13.0 | and how the treatment of people suffering from mental illness in Britain, particularly London, has changed over time. |
| 2:20.0 | To get to the root of our questions today, I'm speaking to Catherine Arnold, expert in English and psychology, |
... |
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