They used to try and 'cure' patients
in Bedlam (St Mary's of Bethlehem in London) by convincing the afflicted that 'death was near'(Victorian treatment if memory serves).
The poor bastards that had to endure being chained naked to the wall and left to wallow in their own feces, were forced to climb into a metal coffin that had holes in and then be lowered into a tank of water 'until the bubbles stopped'.
(
Hellzapoppin, Sun 14 Dec 2008, 9:40,
Reply)