Am J Psychiatry 1982; 139:1028-1032
Copyright © 1982 by American Psychiatric Association
Criticisms of the psychopathological interpretation of witch hunts: a review
TJ Schoeneman
The psychopathological interpretation of the European witch hunts of the
16th and 17th centuries, which has been prominent in histories of
psychiatry, contends that demonology overwhelmed psychiatry in the late
middle Ages, with the result that the mentally ill were executed by the
thousands as witches. The author reviews the criticisms and contrary
evidence that have been brought to bear on this paradigm in the past 20
years, including critiques of its data collection and interpretation,
historical evidence which has failed to support its contentions, and
questions about its implicit approach to the history and philosophy of
science.
