Trial by Medicine : a landmark interdisciplinary exploration of legal insanity and criminal responsibility in Victorian Britain

SUMMARY Roger Smith’s Trial by Medicine: Insanity and Responsibility in Victorian Trials traced how Victorian Britain defined legal insanity. Through an interdisciplinary approach, Smith demonstrated how determinations of criminal responsibility were shaped by more than legal reasoning alone, with verdicts also influenced by professional ambition among expert witness groups often with divergent medical opinions, in addition to broader factors such as social class, gender and evolving moral values. Given its rigour and societal insights, it represents a landmark achievement in the field.