Andrew Scull


Andrew T. Scull is a British-born sociologist whose research is centered on the social history of medicine and particularly psychiatry. He is a distinguished professor of sociology and science studies at University of California, San Diego, and recipient of the Roy Porter Medal for lifetime contributions to the history of medicine. His books include and Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity.

Life and career

Scull was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Allan Edward Scull, a civil engineer and Marjorie née Corrigan, a college teacher. He received his BA with first-class honors from Balliol College, Oxford. He then studied at Princeton University, receiving his MA in sociology in 1971 and his Ph.D. in 1974. He was a postdoc at University College London in 1976–77.
Scull taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1973 until 1978, when he was appointed to the sociology faculty at University of California, San Diego, as an associate professor. He was appointed a full professor in 1982, and distinguished professor in 1994.

Books

Scull's first book, Decarceration: Community Treatment and the Deviant – A Radical View was published in 1977 by Prentice-Hall. A revised version of his Princeton doctoral dissertation, Museums of Madness: The Social Organization of Insanity in 19th Century England, was published in 1979 by Allen Lane and St. Martin's Press. Scull's later books include ; Hysteria: The Biography ; and Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity.