"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."
"When anaesthetics were invented they were thought to be wicked as being an attempt to thwart God's will. Insanity was thought to be due to diabolic possession, and it was believed that demons inhabiting a madman could be driven out by inflicting pain upon him, and so making them uncomfortable. In pursuit of this opinion, lunatics were treated for years on end with systematic and conscientious brutality."
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Source: Bertrand Russell (2009). “Bertrand Russell's Best”, p.107, Routledge
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