The Tranquilizing Chair This treatment device was designed by Benjamin Rush, the “father of American psychiatry,” in the early 1800s. Supposedly the restriction of the patient’s activity and stimulation would have a calming effect by restricting the blood flow to the patient’s brain. Although it seems barbaric today, it was intended as a humane alternative to the straightjacket at that time. In actuality, it did neither harm nor good.
The Granger Collection