Pinel Unchains the Insane, illustration by Robert A. Thom, 1960
Courtesy National Library of Medicine
This illustration shows French physician Phillipe Pinel observing while asylum superintendent Jean–Baptiste Pussin removes chains from people at an asylum in Paris, 1795.
Pinel believed insanity was curable and rejected the use of physical restraints. Instead, he emphasized moral treatment which sought to heal people through self–discipline and the rigid environment of the asylum.
