Patients in the institution often served as a spectacle for visitors. in the 1750s people gathered to come visit. And as the outside of the hospital was a beautifully crafted tourist attraction, the inside was what people paid to see. Thousands of people visited the hospital and were allowed to verbally and physically abuse the patients (2).

At the time monks were thought as of being responsible for dealing with psychological disorders as oftentimes mental illness was thought to be an evil presence entering the mind (2). Because of the stigma and lack of education on mental disorders oftentimes the patients coming in were poor and lacked social support from family or friends. These individuals were then prone to abusive medical practices that have continued to serve as a lesson on the importance of research and moral practices in modern psychiatric care.

Sources:

(1)

https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1050-1485/from-bethlehem-to-bedlam/

(2)

https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/bethlem-royal-hospital-history-why-called-bedlam-lunatic-asylum/

even though the main reason why these two statues were presented so openly at the entrance of the hospital was to entice visitors to donate to the museum, it's important to understand how the past image and beliefs of mental disorders were seen as an incurable "Madness" (2). this dangerous ideology is the reason why certain abusive practices continued for so long at multiple asylums at the time. In addition, these beliefs have only held back research in the field of neuroscience that would have allowed for more moral treatment.

Sources:

(1)

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/raving-madness-265092

(2)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/T-CNu-EuS3mX38Ee649_cQ

The common belief at the time was that the body was controlled by 4 humors that contributed to a person's health and personality (1). So naturally when a patient had some mental disorder it was thought that one's bodily fluid needed to be rebalanced. one method of doing this was by combining certain herbs and spices, which would help the patients excrete certain bodily fluids. Heira Logadii specifically focused on increasing stole production, but other common practices included inducing vomiting and blood extraction (1).

While these practices might not have exactly helped with mental health treatment, these medications started to show a step towards experts at the time trying to find medical cures rather than relying solely on religious folk to banish spirits or madnesses in the body.

Sources:

(1)

http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1673/the-history-of-mental-illness-from-skull-drills-to-happy-pills

(2)

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O119404/drug-jar-unknown/

This hospital in particular called "The York Retreat" was built in England in 1792. the motivation behind the opening of this psychiatric hospital was from a Quaker named William Tuke (3). He was a prominent figure in the Quaker community and was outraged to hear that another member of the Quaker community had passed away in an asylum that did not follow moral treatment or care (1). When rumors that she had passed away from neglect circled, this lit a candle behind Tuke to gather his community and build an asylum that would specialize in Neuropsychiatric care, only this time it would conduct moral practices.

later on, Tuke's son Samuel wrote in his book "The Descriptions of the Retreat" that abusive control of the patients was not acceptable and they encouraged patients themselves to take control of their lives as the staff believed that the patients were capable of being ration human being with the correct care (1). In addition, the patients were also taught how to be properly fed/nourished and were given an active lifestyle full of exercise and activities. In the photograph taken above, it shows one of the hallways from the Retreat (1). The setup of this building contrasted greatly with other psychiatric hospitals as comfortable chairs and plants are arranged to present an inviting environment. it is also noted that each patient had a room and did not live in squalor like those of the Bethlem hospital.

This hospital in particular was the motivation behind many other hospitals changing rules and/or opening with a more progressive outlook on psychiatric care (1). Because of the refreshing moral outlook, many attribute the York retreat and The Tuke family to blazing a new path for what we consider today to be appropriate care for those seeking psychiatric inpatient treatment.

Sources:

(1)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/retreat-at-york-of-1796-psychiatry-in-pictures/7BAB515DD8A1B6AA159AB6CD3516C332

(2)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Retreat,_York._Fourth_Gallery._Wellcome_L0000646.jpg

(3)

https://museumofthemind.org.uk/projects/european-journeys/asylums/york-retreat

" Poor innocents and the furious in this city suffer from hunger, cold and injuries…innocence and rage make them unable to obtain or ask for what is essential to stay alive, and, consequently, [they] sleep in the streets and often die of cold and hunger. Evil people look for the places where they are sleeping to mistreat and, sometimes, kill them—even innocent women…It would represent a holy work if the city of Valencia built a…hospital, where both lunatics and innocents, could stay and didn't wander, or couldn't cause or receive any harm… "(1).

This document and the hospital were a turning point in the formation of psychiatric care and the future of neuroscience because of the effort made to try and form an institution that intends to help not only the city but also ensure the people within the hospital are cared for and not mistreated while seeking treatment.

Sources

(1)

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Founding-documents-for-Hospital-of-Our-Lady-Mary-of-the-Innocents-at-Valencia-These-two_fig2_221847420

(2)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/hospital-for-the-mentally-ill-in-the-middle-ages/3ECCC2DCBA426E7B4F8D682401E8903E

Sources:

(1)

https://youtu.be/0J56wIDcY9A?si=qJJVz2UQYiPftH-P

(2)

https://psychcentral.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-mental-hospital-patient#what-its-like

One day while Fr. Jofre was walking to a church from his convent he witnessed individuals verbally and physically abusing a mentally ill man. Fr. Jofre quickly stepped in and protected the man, and after brought him to his church and helped him get better. (1) This situation inspired him to start promoting treatment for those mentally ill in the city as opposed to just letting them continue to be abused, robbed, and killed. Later on, the city's monarchs promoted the idea of building a hospital, and then the creation of the Hospital of Innocence finally stepped foot.

While Fr. Jofre was not a scientist or expert on mental illnesses or psychiatric care, his dedication to helping mentally ill individuals dramatically changed the way European hospitals function later on. after the opening of this hospital in 1410, a few years later another psychiatric hospital close to Valencia also opened its doors with the basis of moral treatment and respect.

Without trailblazers like him, the modern mental hospital would not be a thing, and his ability to sympathize with those who were once viewed as less than has promoted countless modern institutions now (2).

Sources:

(1)

https://aleteia.org/2022/05/30/a-catholic-priest-founded-the-worlds-first-psychiatric-hospital/

(2)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/hospital-for-the-mentally-ill-in-the-middle-ages/3ECCC2DCBA426E7B4F8D682401E8903E

(3)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Gilabert_Jofr%C3%A9#/media/File:Imatge1.jpg