BACKGROUND BOOKS
All societies, not just 20th-century America, confront the mysteries of the deranged, disturbed, or eccentric mind. In the past, they have vari- ously responded elevating the "touched" to positions of considera- ble influence or mystical signifi- cance, by ostracizing or killing them, or by subjecting them to harsh phys- ical or psychological ordeals in the hope of effecting a cure.
The crucial question is: Who is really deranged?
"Every culture, to my knowledge,...