How to Care for the Insane: A Manual for Nurses

"How to Care for the Insane: A Manual for Nurses" by William D. Granger is a guide from the 1800s created for nurses and caretakers who work with people with mental health conditions in places called asylums, where the author shares important skills, jobs, and kind ways of caring for patients, pointing out how important it is for caretakers to get the right learning and teaching to give high-quality care and show understanding to those facing mental health struggles. The book starts by talking about the author’s training of asylum workers, setting the stage for a step-by-step program for patient care that mixes learning with real-life jobs. It talks about a training program at a state asylum, spelling out what workers are in charge of and the key first steps in learning how to care for people with mental illness, like knowing the asylum rules and why cleanliness matters. It highlights how much patience and kindness matter when working with patients, reminding people that even tough cases need caring, and lays out a plan that includes learning about the body to better prepare workers for their roles. This organized beginning makes a full plan for what the manual will talk about in later chapters.