Madness and Civilization (Routledge Classics)

Very dense academic text but a fascinating historical study.
The way he quotes the bizarre theories 18th century doctors as statements of fact reflects on how we view science now and how we may come to view our current scientific understanding of the mind.

A fascinating study of the history and development of contemporary thought on mental illness. Some points are a little dated (it was published in 1964) but the crossovers between culture, belief and the way that we view mental illness was and is groundbreaking. Very accessible through most of the book. As a study on societal and perspectives this is an outstanding work.