In attempting the cure of insanity, we certainly ought, if possible, to inform ourselves of the remote causes, and carefully to collect the most minute particulars connected with the history of every case. In a great variety of maniacs, the employment of medicine is either improper or impractible; and here our curative attempts must be confined to what is called management, which often claims a considerable share in removing mental derangement. Strong coercive measures are seldom necessary in the earlier stages of the disease, though much address is requisite to secure tranquility and obedience; but more is always to be doen by firmness and tenderness than by violence and harshness.
C***
Practical Observations on Insanity, p. 81.