Abode Of The Damned: Terrible Secrets Of London's Most Sinister Psychiatric Hospital - Alternative View

Abode Of The Damned: Terrible Secrets Of London's Most Sinister Psychiatric Hospital - Alternative View
Abode Of The Damned: Terrible Secrets Of London's Most Sinister Psychiatric Hospital - Alternative View

Video: Abode Of The Damned: Terrible Secrets Of London's Most Sinister Psychiatric Hospital - Alternative View

Video: Abode Of The Damned: Terrible Secrets Of London's Most Sinister Psychiatric Hospital - Alternative View
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Bethlem Royal Hospital was opened in the 13th century as an institution for the mentally ill. However, after a few years, the hospital gained fame as one of the most terrible institutions in Britain, where instead of doctors there were real maniacs, and patients became victims of cruel experiments and torture.

The Betlem hospital, which was supposed to become the abode for those who had nowhere else to go, became a real torture chamber for everyone who got there. Painful torture, unsanitary conditions, psychological experiences and cruel treatment of patients became the norm for "Bedlam", as the inhabitants of the capital of England called it for short, and its history formed the basis of many works of art. We will tell you what happened in this terrible hospital, and how the place intended to help the mentally ill turned into a real prison where people were mutilated.

In 1247 in London, the sheriff of the city Simon Fitz-Mary ordered the construction of a psychiatric hospital for the mentally ill, which originally bore the name of the hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem - homeless people, elderly people left without close relatives, as well as city madmen who had nowhere to go, fell into this institution go. At the beginning, the affairs of the hospital were managed by monks who sought to instill in the inhabitants of Bedlam a sincere faith and, as best they could, took care of their existence. However, soon, around the 1370s, the institution came under the control of officials, and from that moment the life of the hospital changed.

Many residents of London donated money, necessary things and food to Bedlam patients, hoping to somehow help the patients doomed to eternal loneliness. However, further the path of donations became winding - half of the things diverged between the hospital staff and officials who oversaw the institution, and the other half was sold either to the patients themselves, who had the means to buy what they needed, or were sold on the side.

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Corruption in the institution continued to flourish, while the situation of the patients worsened every day - patients went without clothes, slept on wet straw, ate scraps and drank dirty water. The commissions, who have visited the hospital more than once, noted the terrible conditions of the patients, but no measures taken did not change the situation. It was because of the chaos and chaos that reigned in Bedlam that this name soon became a household name and acquired the meaning of chaos and disorder.

In the late 1670s, the hospital was reconstructed - several extensions appeared near the building, in which hundreds of new patients were accommodated. Some of them did suffer from mental disorders, but half of them were admitted to Bethlem Royal Hospital by their own relatives, who wanted to get rid of unwanted family members.

Despite attention from the state and a number of measures aimed at improving conditions of detention, the situation in Bedlam has not improved. On the contrary, more and more corrupt and ruthless employees came to power, for whom the only goal was to make money.

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It was the desire to get rich that pushed the hospital staff to arrange a semblance of an attraction in Bedlam - since the end of the 17th century, every resident of London for a small fee could go to the hospital and observe its inhabitants, like in a zoo.

One of the "tourists" who got into the walls of Bethlem hospital described his impressions of this place as follows: “Hundreds of visitors, having paid two pence, got inside this hell and began to frighten patients. They poked their fingers at them, shouted and tried in every possible way to anger the sick."

Mockery of Bedlam patients by visitors. Artist William Hogarth
Mockery of Bedlam patients by visitors. Artist William Hogarth

Mockery of Bedlam patients by visitors. Artist William Hogarth.

In addition, some visitors were struck by the condition of both the patients and the hospital itself - according to eyewitnesses, the patients walked without clothes, their bodies were covered with bruises and deep wounds, they coughed, sneezed and could hardly move on their own. At the same time, the establishment looked no better - a leaky roof through which water poured in a stream, dampness, mold, cold rooms without a hint of bed and clean linen, lack of water and light. This place was the embodiment of hell on earth.

This situation was largely due to the fact that at that time mental disorders were considered punishment for sins, and therefore Bedlam's patients did not cause any pity or sympathy from anyone. People sincerely believed that all the hardships that befell them were just a just punishment for the sins of the past. “Look at what became of these sinners. Before committing another sin, think about whether you want to be in their place,”read the inscription on one of the hospital's leaflets.

True, the situation changed a little when society became aware of the mental disorder of George III - British subjects did not dare to accuse the monarch of sinfulness, and therefore the attitude towards mental illness changed slightly.

Soon, Bedlam's management decided to stop "excursions" to the institution, but the life of the patients did not improve from this. The employees who lost their additional earnings became even more embittered and began to take out their hatred and aggression on the mentally ill - they were severely beaten, raped, starved and denied water, subjected to psychological pressure.

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After a while, the thoughtless cruelty was replaced by "deliberate" - after the post of chief surgeon of Bedlam was taken over by Dr. Brian Crowther, the number of deaths in the hospital increased significantly. The fact is that Crowther was engaged in a posthumous study of the human brain, and in order to have enough "material", he ordered his employees to kill patients by any available means. As a rule, the unfortunate died of hunger or thirst, and some were strangled by sadistic orderlies who took pleasure in the suffering of their victims.

However, death was not the worst thing that awaited the sick. In 1795, John Haslam, who firmly believed in punitive psychiatry, took over as chief physician. He was convinced that insanity can literally be “ripped out” of a person if physical and psychological pressure is exerted on him. Guided by his views, Haslam began to apply new methods of treatment - patients were doused with ice water and kept in cold baths for several hours, they were "treated" with powerful current charges, bloodletting and spun on a special apparatus, which was a suspended structure making more than 100 revolutions per minute, after which the patients experienced severe dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes hallucinations (the torture lasted at least an hour). In addition, patients were chained to the floor or walls, beaten,they performed surgical operations without the slightest pain reliever, and also forced them to sit in the same position for weeks and sometimes months, which almost always led to rupture of internal organs and death.

After some time, thanks to the attention of one of London's philanthropists named Edward Wakefield, who arrived at the hospital under the guise of a relative of one of the patients, the hospital management was overthrown, and the conditions of the patients improved significantly. Wakefield himself described what he saw in the clinic: “One of the patients was James Norris, an American Marine. When I saw him, I could not believe my eyes - an iron ring was fixed around his neck, to which two short chains led. One was fastened to the floor, the other went through the wall, and when someone pulled the chain from the other side of the wall, Norris banged his head hard against the solid concrete. He spent about ten years in this position."

Cats and Dogs Meat! The seller offers to buy meat from cats and dogs from Bethlehem Hospital
Cats and Dogs Meat! The seller offers to buy meat from cats and dogs from Bethlehem Hospital

Cats and Dogs Meat! The seller offers to buy meat from cats and dogs from Bethlehem Hospital.

The engraving depicts James Morrison, who was held in this position by chains for about 10 years
The engraving depicts James Morrison, who was held in this position by chains for about 10 years

The engraving depicts James Morrison, who was held in this position by chains for about 10 years.

In 1930, the hospital passed into the possession of Lord Rothermere, who turned the infamous institution into a national museum and park. After a while, the activities of the Bethlem Royal Hospital were again resumed, but punitive methods of treatment, experiments and torture remained in the past.

Nevertheless, Bedlam's story is still not forgotten - many people in the United Kingdom still see something sinister in the hospital, others believe that the problem is much wider than it seems - despite the tremendous progress that the scientific community has made over the past few decades. people with mental illnesses are still stigmatized, and no one can say with certainty what is happening behind the closed doors of every psychiatric clinic in the world.

The history of this sinister hospital has inspired many authors, musicians and filmmakers to create works of art dedicated to the history of Bedlam and his patients. One of the most famous works was the film "Bedlam" by Canadian director Mark Robson, which tells about all the horrors that happened within the walls of the hospital.