Hans A. was 72 years old and in good shape when he was admitted to the Eglfing-Haar Mental Institution in March 1944.1 This Bavarian asylum was notorious at the time for its high mortality rate, and Hans A. died there within two months without having shown any signs of serious illness prior to his admission. How and why did he get there? The answers to these questions open up new insights about the relationship among distinct types of knowledge involved in psychiatric committals.
Everyday Knowledge, Science, and Psychiatric Committals during Germany’s Age of Extremes
