About this episode
The episode discusses Dr. Henry Cotton's controversial medical practices in the early 1900s aimed at curing mental illness through invasive surgeries.
Today's True Weird Stuff - Open Wide In the early 1900s, psychiatrist Dr. Henry Cotton claimed he could cure mental illness by removing hidden infections in the body. His theory led to a shocking medical practice at the New Jersey State Hospital for the Insane in Trenton—patients had all of their teeth pulled, tonsils removed, and even parts of their intestines surgically removed in an attempt to eliminate bacteria believed to cause insanity. What started as a revolutionary medical theory quickly spiraled into one of the most disturbing chapters in psychiatric history.
Topics covered
- psychiatry
- medical history
- mental illness
- surgery
- bacteria
- insanity
Keywords
- mental illness
- Dr. Henry Cotton
- New Jersey State Hospital
- surgery
- psychiatry
- insanity
- medical practices
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New Jersey State Hospital for the Insane
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