Follia come errore. Biografie di folli nel Settecento tedesco

The German words "Irrtum" (mistake) and "Irrsinn" (madness) derive from the same root that contains the idea of the Latin "errare", which conveys the sense of a wandering with no clear destination therefore leading to wrong paths. As its etymology suggests, madness represents an estrangement from the normal and rational way of life. In the 18th century mental illness was considered a deviance from rational rules and mental patients were seen as epitomes of moral and social errour. For this reason they were removed from society, enchained and confined within the asylum - "Irrenhaus" - that thus became the place of errour, the emblem of a detachment from the alleged rationality and normally linked to "health". The writings by Claudius, Engel and Spiess show many such sites of madness described by careful and sympathetic visitors who perceive them as locations of pain and grief.