Madhouse (book) facts for kids

Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine is a 2005 book by Andrew Scull which discusses the work of controversial psychiatrist Henry Cotton at Trenton State Hospital in New Jersey in the 1920s. Cotton thought that insanity was fundamentally a toxic disorder and he surgically removed body parts to try to improve mental health. This often began with the removal of teeth and tonsils. Much death and harm resulted from his experiments. Cotton's approach attracted some detractors, but most doctors of the day did not effectively object.