The stone of madness, also called stone of folly, was a hypothetical stone in a patient's head, thought to be the cause of madness, idiocy or dementia. From the 15th century onwards, removing the stone by trepanation was proposed as a remedy.[1][2] This procedure is demonstrated in the painting The Extraction of the Stone of Madness by Hieronymus Bosch.[3]
- ^ Vigué, Jordi (2002). Great Masters of Western Art. Watson-Guptill. p. 71. ISBN 0-8230-2113-0.
- ^ Shorter, Edward (1997). A History of Psychiatry. Wiley. p. 225. ISBN 0-471-24531-3.
- ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (October 27, 2008). "In Rome, a New Museum Invites a Hands-On Approach to Insanity". The Economist. Retrieved 2008-10-28.