Concepts of the asylum in the care of the mentally ill.

The author explores the initial intent of the asylum, a reform designed to ensure humane care of the mentally ill, drawing especially on Samuel Tuke's account of the York Retreat. He presents key concepts of the asylum related to codes of conduct, management of restraint, and social amenities from the perspective of Tuke and other reformers, and challenges some interpretations of the early asylums made by Michel Foucault.