Techniek in de geest van de patiënt

De Nederlandse voorgeschiedenis van de AI-psychose (1790-1900)

Samenvatting

Psychiatrists and sociologists emphasise that patients use cultural phenomena to shape their unformed delusions. Yet, systematic qualitative analyses of the precise technology’s historical impact on delusions are scarce. This article examines how the cultural context of technology influenced delusional content among patients in Dutch asylums during the period of industrialisation (1850–1900), compared to 1790–1850. The rapid technological catch-up after 1850 provides a strong case for studying this impact. Drawing on Roy Porter and the perspective of clinical patients, I analyse Dutch reporting on technology, which was either positive or critical, but primarily fearful. These societal responses are reflected in approximately 800 patient files from Rosmalen, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Utrecht. I conclude that delusions function as mirrors of their cultural context, reflecting not only the names and forms of technologies, but also societal sentiments, albeit amplified. For historical research, such delusions are thus valuable sources, provided their hyperbolic psychological expression is considered.