Abstract
Lúis Cebola's 1925 work Almas delirantes [Delusional Souls] presented various psychopathologies through metaphorical and lyrical portraits rather than from a medical/ scientific point of view, showing that he perceived his patients as more than objects of scientific study in a process of identification, empathy, and compassion. Cebola defined psychopathological states according to contrast with normality, but stressed that these diseases could arise in any individual, and the book simultaneously acted as a warning to readers. The text also publicized the Museum of Madness [Museu da Loucura], which he created at the Casa de Saúde do Telhal, and the art produced by his patients, positioning himself as a messenger between the closed universe of the psychiatric hospital and Portuguese society.
Keywords
Luís Cebola (1876-1967); Museu da Loucura; psychiatry; Casa de Saúde do Telhal; mental health