Zece ani printre nebuni: dosarul psihiatric al unui intelectual din Țara Românească în secolul al XIX-lea

Ten Years among the Insane: The Psychiatric File of an Intellectual from Wallachia in the Nineteenth Century Abstract. This research aims to bring to light the unique and intriguing psychiatric case file of Mihalache Anagnosti, a nineteenth-century intellectual from Wallachia. The unpublished sources explored in this study reconstruct Anagnosti’s therapeutic journey from the moment he was declared insane (smintit) until his discharge from the private clinic in Ober-Döbling (Vienna) – a journey spanning nearly a decade. Alongside Anagnosti, we uncover the little-known Romanian custodial environment of monasteries as sites of psychiatric isolation, shedding light on the pre-psychiatric management of madness, as well as the equally frustrating but distinct landscape of Austrian private asylums. Anagnosti stands as a vocal witness, allowing us to understand how madness was perceived and treated 175 years ago.