ABSTRACT
One of the most articulate and elaborate statements of the social origins of deviant behavior appeared in the pre-Civil War analysis of the causes of insanity. The question of the etiology of insanity was a comparatively new one for Americans. Every general practitioner in the pre-Civil War era agreed that insanity was a disease of the brain and that the examination of tissues in an autopsy would reveal organic lesions, clear evidence of physical damage, in every insane person. Since insanity was a physical disease, sickness or wounds could debilitate the brain. A blow to the head might impair the organ's functioning and bring on insanity. The link between civilization and insanity was not first forged in the United States. Before the Civil War, practically no one in the United States protested the simple connection between insanity and civilization. Official definitions did not limit insanity to a special style of behavior or restrict the range of possible symptoms.
