Department of Health and Social Services Library

Read@DHSS: Delaware Day

The DHSS Library has over 10,000 journal titles, eBooks, print books, and DVDs
available to you as a DHSS employee. 
Each week we will highlight three book titles of particular interest
to help you learn more about our collection.

If you have a Delaware library card, you can place a hold and pick it up
at the DHSS Library or any public library location.
Not sure if you have one? Email the DHSS Library and we will look up your account!

Remembering Farnhurst : stories from the Delaware State Hospital 1894-1920 by Katherine A. Dettwyler

ISBN: 9781977212603

Publication Date: 2019-09-11

This compelling book includes 186 case studies of patients who were admitted to the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst between 1894 and 1920. Until now, their stories have remained hidden away, lost, forgotten, inaccessible. This book changes that by providing a detailed look at the lives of a wide variety of patients. Farnhurst is usually thought of as having been simply a "mental hospital" or "lunatic asylum." In reality, the institution cared for people with many different conditions ranging from "congenital imbeciles," to traumatic and acquired brain injuries, syphilis, epilepsy, delusions, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, Huntington's disease, acute intermittent porphyria, deafness, blindness, age-related senility, pregnancy-related conditions, substance abuse disorders, etc. - at a time when there were few or no other options for care and treatment. An important resource for reducing the stigma associated with being diagnosed with a mental illness or spending time in a mental institution, this book shows that every patient came from somewhere and had meaningful lives before, during, and after their time at the Delaware State Hospital. They were real individuals, each with their own story. Come meet them.

 

The Delaware State Constitution by Randy J. Holland

ISBN: 9780190491079

Publication Date: 2017-01-10

The Delaware State Constitution is the first state constitution drafted by a convention composed of popularly elected representatives, and it is rich with history and tradition. The Delaware Bill of Rights has remained almost exactly the same since 1792, and it has enacted specific provisions whereby its three branches of government operate differently from the federal system.The Delaware State Constitution provides an outstanding constitutional and historical account of the state's basic governing charter. In it, Judge Randy Holland begins with an overview of Delaware's constitutional history. He then provides an in-depth, section-by-section analysis of the entire constitution, detailing important changes that have been made over the years. Justice Holland's learned treatment, along with the list of cases, index, and bibliography, makes this guide indispensable for students, scholars, and practitioners of Delaware's constitution. This second edition includes all amendments to the Delaware Constitution since 2002 and all significant court decisions interpreting any provision in the Delaware Constitution that have been issued since 2002.The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

 

Delaware's Role in World War II by William H. Conner; Leon Devalinger Jr.; John Gilbert Leach

ISBN: 9781258494445

Publication Date: 2012-10-01

Recognizing that a limited number of records had been preserved from World War I, former State Archivist Leon deValinger began collecting records that illustrated Delaware’s role in World War II soon after the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.1 His work continued through the completion of the seminal two-volume book Delaware’s Role in World War II that was first published in 1955 and provided the groundwork for this finding aid. More than 33,000 Delawareans fought in World War II. This number made up only 0.21 percent of the total number of soldiers who served in the war but left an impressive legacy on the state of Delaware.2 Delaware played a unique role in the war. Situated where the Delaware River and Delaware Bay meets, it was in an important geographic and defensive location. The Delaware River was a chief priority for defense because it afforded access to urban areas like Wilmington, Philadelphia, and New York City. Wilmington was home to shipbuilding, manufacturing, and chemical industries, all of which were important for the war effort. The Dravo Corporation launched 187 ships out of its Wilmington shipyard during the war, and the DuPont, Hercules, and Atlas explosives and chemical companies were extremely active in manufacturing products for the military.