June 3, 2025 by Miguel De La Torre
In his first major work, “Madness and Civilization,” published in 1961, the postmodernist philosopher Michael Foucault examines the humane treatment of individuals considered insane by so-called “enlightened” clinician reformers from the 18th century, including Samuel Tuke and Philippe Pinel. Tuke was a Quaker who institutionalized…