History of psychiatry and medical psychology

As a discipline, psychiatry has always walked a fine if not easily defined line between social and biological science. This book traces this evolution in its social, political, and philosophical contexts, charting the rise of psychology as a legitimate field of scientific pursuit, and of psychiatry as a medical specialty. An interdisciplinary team of historians (including Sander Gilman, Dora Weiner, Hannah Decker, and the recently deceased dean of American psychiatric history, George Mora, M.D.) has distilled centuries of history, protracted debates, false starts, and missteps, resulting in a narrative of history and methodology in the making.