[Criminal madness in the 18th century]

Area of Science:

• Legal history
• History of psychiatry
• Forensic medicine

Context:

• The "Ancien Régime" in Geneva (18th century) addressed mentally disturbed criminals with specific legal and medical considerations.
• Judicial archives from Geneva provide insights into historical practices.

Purpose:

• To analyze the theoretical reasoning behind legal and medical considerations for mentally disturbed criminals during the "Ancien Régime" in Geneva.
• To establish the foundations of forensic-psychiatric expertise.

Summary:

• The study examines 18th-century Geneva judicial archives to understand the "Ancien Régime's" approach to mentally disturbed offenders.
• It reveals early legal and medical considerations that predated modern forensic psychiatry.

Impact:

• Provides a historical perspective on the evolution of forensic psychiatry.
• Highlights the "prehistory" of forensic-psychiatric expertise by examining historical case reasoning.