Anna Agnew had a normal childhood. She was particularly close to her father who probably encouraged her reading. She didn’t marry until after his death. At first things seemed fine and she had three sons whom she loved very deeply. Soon, however, episodes of depression overtook her. She poignantly describes the onset of such an episode on November 19, 1876 as a “cold shadowy something seemed settling down upon me-indescribable but altogether horrible!” That was the beginning of a series of episodes of depression and mania that eventually led to her commitment to the Indiana Hospital for the Insane. After recovering, she wrote a book describing her life, illness and treatment at the hospital. It became a best seller and Anna Agnew became a spokesperson for the efforts to improve the treatment and lives of the mentally ill.
In From Under the Cloud at Seven Steeples 1878-1885: The Peculiarly Saddened Life of Anna Agnew at the Indiana Hospital for the Insane, Dr. Lucy Jane King skillfully alternates sections of Agnew’s book, descriptions of Agnew’s life and the lives of those surrounding her, and a history of the treatment of the mentally ill. The most striking sections are the excerpts from Agnew’s beautifully written memoir. In it she describes her illness and how she was treated by the staff at the hospital and the public. Agnew dealt fairly with all the treatments and medical personnel, even if they were cruel and sadistic. Particularly sad, in my opinion, was the way the public went through the hospital to see the patients as if they were visiting a zoo.
Dr. King is a clinical professor of psychiatry, emeritus, at Indiana University School of Medicine. Throughout the book, she includes information on the treatment of the mentally ill in Indiana and elsewhere. She explains in layman’s terms some of the medications and treatments used in the past and contemporary times. She also makes it clear that humanity has a long way to go in treating those who suffer from mental illness. Anyone who reads this book will surely develop a much clearer understanding of mental illness and its treatment.
Agnew’s descriptions of her life and illness are poetic and fascinating. Dr. King’s insertions of short biographies of the various people in Agnew’s life add to the reader’s understanding of Agnew. The explanations of the history and treatment of mental illness are comprehensive and understandable. The author seamlessly weaves the disparate aspects of the book together to create an eminently readable whole.
Out of print for several years, the author found a box of the books in a closet at her home. Those books are now available at Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson Avenue.
