The Best Specimen of a Tyrant - Softcover

9780979231902: The Best Specimen of a Tyrant
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AWARDED THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY "BOOK OF MERIT" FOR 2008 AS THE YEAR'S BEST BOOK ABOUT WISCONSIN HISTORY. The Best Specimen of a Tyrant is the true story of an ambitious physician's stormy tenure as superintendent of the Wisconsin Insane Hospital in its early years. During the Civil War, Dr. Abraham Van Norstrand had pieced together one of the Union army's biggest hospitals and toiled over its operating tables, saving hundreds upon hundreds of battle-torn soldiers - while secretly monopolizing the lucrative whiskey trade that kept their comrades drunk. Back home, he succeeded where others had failed, taking charge of the Wisconsin Insane Hospital and ruling tirelessly - while assaulting patients and serving them tainted food purchased from his own grocery store. Whether caught up in the gold rush mindset of the frontier, the topsy-turvy moral climate of the lower Mississippi in wartime, or the lure of the vaunted new "hospital movement" (and its emerging dark side), Van Norstrand never stopped chasing after the elusive fortune he had come west to find, crossing swords with some of the great names of his era along the way. But he met his match in the person of a moral crusader and - to all appearances - pristine do-gooder named Samuel Hastings. In the end, neither his long-sought wealth nor his uncanny gift for knowing when to cut and run could save him from the bitter heartache he never saw coming. The story of his rise and fall is also the story of the clash between great expectations and hard choices that plagued public hospitals across the country in the mid-19th century, thereby undermining public confidence in them for generations to come.

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About the Author:
Thomas Doherty's short stories have appeared in The Iowa Review, The Laurel Review, the Mississippi Valley Review, and other literary journals. His nonfiction has also appeared in a variety of publications, from the Saigon Post to the Wisconsin Magazine of History.
Review:
"An absorbing read with themes that resonate sharply today - including treatment of veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder, and corrupt actions by high ranking officials. Structured around the mysterious and grisly death of a minister at the Wisconsin Insane Hospital, The Best Specimen of a Tyrant has a lively pace for a history." --Linda Falkenstein, ISTHMUS Books Quarterly

"Van Norstrand is a strong personality, a leader among men, a warrior through and through. In pursuring his fortune (he) was involved in at least three titanic struggles: the U.S. Civil War, the war against mental illness, and every man's struggle within himself, the struggle to wield power in an honest and ethical manner... Doherty delivers a fascinating character study of a complex and influential physican and provides an illuminating account of hospital psychiatry during a far more rudimentary age." --Kenneth C. Casimir, M.D., THE WISCONSIN PSYCHIATRIST

"Well written... a fascinating character study while at the same time a dynamic history... The book describes in detail Van Norstrand's work as an army surgeon, (moving) from the horrors of war to the horrors of the insane asylum. I recommend this book." --Kay James, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

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  • PublisherSpenser-Hoyt
  • Publication date2007
  • ISBN 10 0979231906
  • ISBN 13 9780979231902
  • BindingPerfect Paperback
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages326
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781609381462: The Best Specimen of a Tyrant: The Ambitious Dr. Abraham Van Norstrand and the Wisconsin Insane Hospital

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ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9781609381462
Publisher: University Of Iowa Press, 2013
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ISBN 10: 0979231906 ISBN 13: 9780979231902
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