London in the 1790s, Europe is in turmoil and war with France is looming. James Matthews, an Welsh tea merchant and anti war advocate who holds covert meeting with both the English and theFrench leaders. But Matthews believes that his mind is being controlled by revolutionary terrorists and a secret machine called the Air Loom. He is promptly declared mad and send to Bedlam. Here his delusions are celebrated as the most complex and bizarre ever recorded and strangely many of the incredible events he claims to have been involved in are entirely true.
Jay — co-curator of Wellcome Collection’s recent High Society exhibition, and co-author of Medical London — is at his most powerful when tackling the human condition. The powerplay between patient and doctor, the changing attitudes towards those who are declared insane, and Matthews’ particular and peculiar case, deemed to be the first diagnosable account of schizophrenia on record, are all illuminating.
This fresh edition of The Influencing Machine includes a reworked text by the author and new images, including Matthews’ own designs for New Bedlam. We highly recommend you buy a copy, and we’re pretty sure no unseen forces are prejudicing that opinion.
Librería del balcón 