Schizophrenia before 1800? The case of the Revd George Trosse

Abstract

SynopsisTrosse's account of his life has been described as one of the strangest pieces of realism in the English language. It gives a detailed description of the author's personal experience of three episodes of psychotic disorder during the years 1656–7. The disorder has been considered an early instance of schizophrenia, but evidence is presented here to suggest that a more plausible diagnosis was alcoholic psychosis and affective disorder.