The historiography of puerperal psychosis: a Cinderella sub-specialty

Abstract

This article discusses the historiography of puerperal psychosis and how it mirrors the historiography of the development of psychiatry as a discipline. The article defines the meaning of the term ‘puerperal psychosis’ and explores the way that this condition has been dealt with in texts from the pre-modern era. It developed in the 19th century when numerous stakeholders lay claim to being the appropriate professional for management of women affected by this condition. Its decline as a term came about by the end of the century, as the result of Krapelinian nosology, although it subsequently rose in importance towards the end of the 20th century. It can be likened to a Cinderella sub-specialty in psychiatry.