Beginning roughly in the sixteenth century, the mentally ill were treated in special institutions called insane asylums, sanctuaries, or places of refuge intended for the care of the mentally ill. These places often engaged in cruel, inhumane practices with horrific results. One of the scariest facts about insane asylums is that almost no one was safe from being committed. You could be committed for everything from reading too much to being kicked by your horse.

The early asylums were used to remove troublesome individuals who could not care for themselves out of society. Most early asylums, sometimes referred to as “madhouses,” were often used to house unfortunate residents in unhealthy and cruel conditions.

Research suggests that the first hospital established in Europe was most likely in Spain in 1409. It was named the Valencia mental hospital founded by Father Juan Pilberto Jofre. Research does not indicate a lot of information regarding the treatment of patients in that facility. Almost one hundred and fifty years later in 1547, Henry VIII made the monastery of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London into an asylum. This asylum became known for its inhumane conditions and practices and was most notably known as “Bedlam.” The violent patients were displayed to the public for one penny a look and the more harmless residents were forced to seek charity on the streets of London.

Other countries began establishing asylums for the mentally ill. In 1566, The San Hipolito was the first asylum established in the Americas. La Maison de Charenton was founded in France in 1641 in a suburb of Paris. Moscow established an asylum in 1764 and the notorious Lunatics’ Tower in Vienna had an ornately decorated round tower with square rooms. The doctors and keepers lived in the square rooms, while the patients were confined in the spaces between the walls of the rooms and the outside of the tower. The patients were put on exhibit to the public for a small fee. The one common theme among early asylums, which were more similar to penal institutions, was the fact that the patients were treated more like beasts than like human beings.

In the United States, Benjamin Franklin supervised the completion of the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia in 1756, which provided some cells or wards for mental patients. In 1773, the Public Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia, was the first hospital in the United States devoted exclusively to mental patients. The treatment of mental patients in the United States was no better than that offered by European institutions. There seemed to be widespread belief that patients needed to choose rationality over insanity. Patient treatment was often aggressive and the treatment techniques reflected the scientific views of the day. The treatments were designed to intimidate patients and often included powerful medication and torture.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading... Related