Law developed around detention, property and control of people labelled insane.
Older lunacy laws focused on people labelled insane or of unsound mind. They involved detention, property, guardianship and institutional control.
These laws shaped a long history where mental distress and cognitive difference were legal problems to manage, often with limited voice for the person.
The legal question should not only be who controls this person. It should be what supports their voice, safety and rights.
A common mistake is reading old law as simply protection. It was often protection mixed with power over the person.
Who had power here, who was left outside, and what would have changed if the human being was seen first?
These deep dives open out from this part of the timeline.