The presence of the insane is first mentioned in 1403
The presence of the insane is first mentioned in 1403
Henry IV brought the hospital's porter, Peter Taverner, to trial for abusing his office
Charged with stealing two stocks, various chains with locks, manacles, and some metal chairs
Items were used routinely to restrain the patients
No advances in the treatment of mental illness were made before the middle of the twentieth century
Little could be offered beyond custodial care
In 1547, it went under control of the City of London
In 1547, it went under control of the City of London
Violent or dangerous patients were manacled and chained to the floor or wall
In 1676 a new building was opened at Moorfields
the existing building was ‘very old, weak and ruinous’.
Iron grilles across the centre to divide the male and female wings
More "fortunate" inmates were discharged from the hospital
More "fortunate" inmates were discharged from the hospital
Were given license to beg on the streets of London
Identifiable by the tin plate that they wore on their arms
Became known as the Bedlam Beggars, Abraham-Men, Bedlamers, Bedlamites or Tom O'Bedlam
Patients were subjected to public scorn of those who were allowed in
Patients were subjected to public scorn of those who were allowed in
Public had to pay a fee
Allowed to gawk, laugh and aggravate the patients
Allowed to bring in long sticks to poke the patients
Philippe Pinel, a French doctor
Head of the Paris asylum for insane men at Bicêtre in 1792
Argued that confining the mentally ill to jails, pens, cellars and garrets, restraining them in chains, straight jackets and chairs, feeding them bread and water, and hiring attendants based on their strength was unacceptable.
Sparked a revolution in the treatment of the mentally ill.
Families can have mad family members legally restrained upon obtaining a “lettre de cachet” from royal officials
Families can have mad family members legally restrained upon obtaining a “lettre de cachet” from royal officials
Warrants effectively depriving the “lunatic” of all legal rights
1808 – An Act of Parliament passed.
Permitting the use of public funds for asylums
1845 – against those who denounced it as a waste of money or an infringement of freedom
The hospital moved to its third site in 1815
The hospital moved to its third site in 1815
Due to increased numbers and a crumbling building
Moved to St George’s Fields, Southwark
Restraint of patients had been used sparingly at Bethlem in the 1840s
Was abandoned in the 1850s
Emphasis on the opportunities for work and leisure as a means of facilitating recovery
The wards began to be much more comfortable
Bethlem moved to its present site in 1930
Bethlem moved to its present site in 1930
Did not want to replicate the buildings of Moorfields and St George’s Fields but to design the hospital on the ‘villa system’
Each ward had its own building with kitchen, dining room and garden
Other facilities were housed in separate units throughout the 250 acres of grounds
In France 1656, King Louis XIV, ordained the confinement of beggars, vagabonds, tramps, freethinkers, prostitutes and the insane
In France 1656, King Louis XIV, ordained the confinement of beggars, vagabonds, tramps, freethinkers, prostitutes and the insane
The Hopital General of Paris was established to segregate socially dependent or disruptive individuals from society
Other hospitals included:
La Bicetre – for men
Salpetriere – for women
Allderidge, Patricia. “A Brief History of Bethlehem”. Genetic Futures News. www.geneticfutures.com December 2, 2010.
Allderidge, Patricia. “A Brief History of Bethlehem”. Genetic Futures News. www.geneticfutures.com December 2, 2010.
Andrews, Jonathan and Scull, Andrew. Undertaker. University of California Press. California. 2001.
Baker, Jeffrey, Golann, Stuart and Pomerants, Jay M. The Bethlehem Diaries. Canfield Press. San Francisco, California. 1974.
"Bedlam." Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Ed. Joseph R. Strayer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989. Gale World History In Context. Web. 8 Dec. 2010.
Johnson, Ann Braden. Out of Bedlam: The Truth About Deinstitutionalization. Basic Books, Inc. New York. 1990.
Porter, Ray. Madness: A Brief History. Oxford University Press, Inc. New York. 2002.
