Before asylums stretched across the American landscape, madness was met with chains, neglect, and fear. Then came moral therapy—a vision of kindness, calm, and care. It promised that mad people could be guided back to reason, not through force, but through routine, tranquility, and gentle hands.
But was it truly freedom, or just another cage?
In this episode, Matt and Megan trace the origins of moral therapy—from the quiet halls of the York Retreat in England to the towering asylums of America. They follow the footsteps of William Tuke, a tea merchant turned reformer, and Philippe Pinel, the man who unchained the mad (or so the story goes). They explore how an idea meant to heal became the blueprint for a system that would, in time, crumble under its own weight.
The road to Dunning begins here—with a dream of care that became something else.
Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org
Information for the Dunning series is taken from the book DUNNING: Special Report, published by The Center for Mad Culture in 2024 and written by Matt Bodett. Copies of this book can be purchased through their website.
