Discussions about the madness of foreign immigrants in California, 1855-1892

Abstract

The present work features a tour through the arguments and discussions that psychiatrists of the state of California held between 1855-1892, concerning the mental illnesses of foreign immigrants. This period, marked by the recent annexation of California to the United States, seeks through archival, hemerographic and bibliographic work, to give an understanding of the social concerns of the moment and how these were reflected in the understanding of mental illnesses and the high number of hospitalized patients in the newly created mental institutions, including Mexican migrants.