Product Description

MADNESS, MALINGERING, AND MALFEASANCE is a groundbreaking study that clearly describes the development of medical and legal practices provoked by the turmoil of the American Civil War. Citing numerous period documents, R. Gregory Lande shatters the romantic myth that all Civil War soldiers were men of honor. He demonstrates that underneath the veneer of Victorian respectability and its accompanying moral code, men suffered frequent breakdowns under the pressures of war. Lande exposes numerous acts of insubordination, alcohol abuse, desertion, and violent crimes against fellow soldiers and civilians. Courts-martial determined the punishment for such transgressions.

Lande convincingly demonstrates that the scientific understanding of mental illness and substance abuse was in its infancy during the mid-nineteenth century. This medical ignorance, combined with the numerous limitations of military law in that era, prevented accused soldiers from receiving what we, by today's standards, would consider a fair trial. While the requirements of military law have always differed from those of civilian law, Civil War soldiers did not have access to legal counsel unless they could afford to hire a lawyer themselves. During hostilities, treatment of the sick and due process of law were considered subordinate to the war's prosecution. The sad result was that many mentally ill, incompetent, and poor men were imprisoned or put to death. Though a more sophisticated understanding of mental illness and substance abuse developed after the war, it would take many years for American society to reform the treatment of those deemed "criminally insane."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2327669 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 231 pages

Review
"Can anything new be said about the Civil War? Dr. Lande has shown that the answer is a resounding, 'Yes!'. . . Dr. Lande's valuable book opens a new door into . . . largely uncharted territories." --Thomas P. Lowry, M.D., co-author of TARNISHED SCALPELS: THE COURTS-MARTIALOF FIFTY UNION SURGEONS

About the Author
R. Gregory Lande, D.O., F.A.C.N., is the deputy and director of professional services of William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute in Columbia, SC. A retired Army colonel, Lande was the director and developer of the U.S. military forensic psychiatry training program. He is the author and editor of numerous articles and books in the medical-legal literature, including THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MILITARY FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY.

Customer Reviews

American Civil War Psychiatry
Madness, Malingering and Malfeasance: Transformation of Psychiatry and the Law in the Civil War Era by R. Gregory Lande (Brassey's) describes the struggle of the medical and legal professions and the US. government to cope with insubordination, substance abuse, and crime in the Civil Warera military
During the American Civil War, as in all wars, soldiers were wounded not just physically but emotionally as well. Good men traumatized by the violence of war were sometimes driven to their mental limits, while criminals and troubled individuals who had joined the ranks of the citizen armies found themselves in a more rigid environment in which to commit their transgressions. In the Civil War military, justice was swift and harsh and forgiveness difficult to come by. Citing numerous period documents, Dr. Lande demonstrates that the scientific understanding of mental illness and substance abuse was in its infancy during the mid-nineteenth century. He chronicles cases in which soldiers' mental afflictions or problems with severe alcohol abuse contributed to their misconduct, soldiers such as Leroy Shear, a.k.a.. "Lorenzo Stewart," whose arrest after deserting from two different Union units resulted in an even more serious crime.
Once charged with disobeying orders or committing a crime, soldiers faced an uncertain fate. While the requirements of military law have always differed from those of civilian law, Civil War troops did not have access to legal counsel unless they could afford to hire a lawyer themselves. The sad result was that many mentally ill, incompetent, and poor men were imprisoned for long periods or even put to death. Though a more sophisticated understanding of mental illness and substance abuse developed after the war in the emerging field of forensic psychiatry, it would take many years for American society to reform the treatment of those deemed "criminally insane."
Madness, Malingering and Malfeasance shows that the effects of war unfolded in numerous compelling, tragic, and shocking events beyond the battlefield. It is an important contribution to the growing literature on the medical-legal aspects of the Civil War era.

Refreshing
I purchased this book recently. It tells the history of the Civil War from a very unique perspective. I never knew that insanity had such a rich history during America's Civil War. The author writes very well, much like a novel, only this is a true story. You will enjoy reading this book!

Malfeasance of Text
Dr. Lande has poorly researched the aspects of Civil War, preferring instead to demur to general logistics, rather than in-depth perusal of legitimate history. His writing resembles that of a high school report, with poorly constructed sentences, run-on phrases, choppy verbosity and a verbal cadence that approaches boredom. The true battlefield in the book is the one between the author and his lack of writing expertise. Read it with a grain of salt, and spare your wits for much better treatises on Civil War history.