10. Limited Medical Understanding
During the 19th century, psychiatry was still a fledgling field, and most theories about mental illness were deeply flawed. Doctors relied on outdated ideas, like imbalances of bodily “humors” or moral weakness, to explain psychological distress. This lack of knowledge led to ineffective and sometimes cruel interventions, ranging from exorcisms to extreme physical treatments. Because understanding was limited, genuine medical help was rare, and suffering patients were often subjected to dangerous experiments and guesswork rather than compassionate care.
