The Washington times., 1920-06-27

belief that they were always possessed By devils I'm
the of the Gergesenes described in tho Bible
whom the Saviour cured. Whenever a person showed
the violent type of insanity in ancient times it
sidered necessary to drive "the devis' out Of him,
whether by beating torture roasting, freezing any
other that promised to be effective. This concep.
ton appears have cng the treatment of the insane
even after medicine became science
The records of the fourteenth century Bethlehem ten
of woman who had shown herself violent maniac.
She tightly trussed up and thus bound raved for
four five hours but by degrees she to herself
when she said that she had in dream the martyr
clothed in sacred vestments with the blood streaked
across his face"
After the Reformation, .monastic orders being no
longer allowed Bethlehem tranformed into regular
insane asylum 1t appears to have reached the peak Of
its horrors and sord cruetes in the eighteenth century
The great caricatust William Hogarth drew immortal
picture of its terrors in his series of plates called The
Rakes Progress 1t the next to the last stage in
the poor rakes downfall that landed him in the famous
madhouse.
The insane were at this time treated by claiming them
to the wall beating them drenchng them with freezing
water binding them up in straitJackets throwing them
into unghted dungeons and otherwise maltreatng them
To add to their suferings the idle curiosity seekers OF
London allowed to wander through the hospital and
stare and jeer at the poor inmates.
Hogarth's picture reveals many accurate details OF
the treatment of the insane at that time. The hospital
barber has shaved the unacs head bare. One OF the
keepers is manacng the poor wretch. black patch on
his side shows that he has been seriously injured In
struggle with his tormentors. .
Another keeper is thrustng away the poor girl whom
the rake had deceived the beginning of his wicked
and who is the only friend who chngs to him
The details of asylum life shown by Hogarth are only
those that could be by any visitor. He would not
have dared depict the horrors that were being enacted
in underground cells and behind iron doors In little
room in the background of his picture there is poor
lunatic who imagnes himself king, but has torn of all
his clothing. Of fashion visiting the hospital
holds up her fan and pretends not to see this unseemy
person. while her maid stares at him. ...
If patient suffered from violent mania it then
considered wise to drench him suddenly with pail Of
ice.cod water. An occasional lash with the whip was
orthodox treatment for meancholia The patients were
generally left to the brutses of the keepers. The
windows of the hospital heavily barred with iron,
and it was in every respect no better than prison.
In the early nineteenth century an investigation was
made into the abuses of Bethlehem Hospital was then
proved that James Norris former American soldier had
been kept there in iron frame which allowed him to
move only foot in any direction He was subjected to
this torture for nine years till his death in 1915. This,
Of course, only Of many equally shocking cases
Bethlehem Hospital still exists in London and is now
considered good example of the up.todats asylum.