William A. F. Browne: Earliest Documented Use of Rehabilitative Art in Great Britain

Abstract

Art therapy is a recognized primary or adjunctive treatment modality that traces its modern roots to the mid-twentieth century. However, art therapy has its origins, at least, in the 1840s. William A. F. Browne, the first medical superintendent of Crichton Royal Institution in Dumfries, Scotland, in 1839, was a reformer. He was part of a larger movement known as moral treatment which advocated the elimination of restraints and fear as methods of control of patients, treating patients humanely and with respect, and the introduction of a multitude of therapeutic activities, including artistic endeavors. Browne’s efforts stand apart from others in that he encouraged art as a rehabilitative activity, even for non-artists.

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