Arkham Asylum

Established in November 1921, the **Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane**, or simply **Arkham Asylum**, is a psychiatric hospital located in the outskirts of Gotham City. It was founded by Amadeus Arkham in the early 20th century, transforming it from a family estate into a treatment centre.

## Arkham Asylum

### Inhabitants

John Doe

It is dedicated to rehabilitating those considered too dangerous for normal prisons such as Blackgate Penitentiary.

## Description

Gotham City's only maximum security psychiatric hospital... for now. Outdated in every way: building is falling apart, equipment is antiquated, and the staff's methodology leaves much to be desired. When the Thomas and Martha Wayne Memorial Hospital opens, these patients will finally get the treatment they need.

## History

### Amadeus Arkham

On February 7, 1852, Cyrus Pinkney gave Amadeus Arkham plans to build the "greatest asylum the world has ever known". Amadeus named the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane after his mother, whom he euthanized as treatment for her dementia. Building it on the old grounds of his family's historic mansion on the outskirts of Gotham City, Amadeus personally treated it's first inmate - Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins, who had killed his wife and daughter. After he administered fatal electroshock therapy to Hawkins, Amadeus lost all grip on sanity and was admitted into his own institution.

Amadeus was a highly respected psychiatrist until his fall to insanity, and was the heir to the Arkham land and fortune. In his last years, Amadeus was diagnosed as a delusional schizophrenic and locked away in a cell within his own mansion, scratching writings on the walls of his cell. He eventually passed away within his own asylum and was buried within the cemetery in Arkham East, next to the Botanical Gardens, along with other inmates who died while in the asylum's care.

### Corrupted Purpose

Years later, Arkham Asylum would be used as part of scheme between Mayor Hamilton Hill, Carmine Falcone, and Thomas Wayne. Thomas Wayne forcibly had innocent individuals committed to Arkham as patients so that they could take their wealth and land. In order to make sure that the "patients" would look suitably insane, Thomas Wayne would inject them with a special drug of his own creation which made the subjects extremely violent. They performed these acts of cruelty countless times over the years, on various people, amongst which, was Esther Cobblepot, Oswald Cobblepot's mother, whom Thomas made sure to give a concentrated dose to ensure that she never recovered. Esther Cobblepot presumably spent the rest of her life in Arkham.

Eventually, the Arkhams, Amadeus' descendants, would discover what the three were doing. Horrified and disgusted by the discovery they planned to go to the police. Before they could, however, Thomas Wayne had them both assassinated and their daughter and only child was put into the foster care.

They presumably continued to use Arkham in their operations up until Thomas and Martha Wayne's deaths, as Thomas was the only one of the three with the necessary skills to produce the drug.

## Staff

### Former Staff

* Amadeus Arkham † - Founder
* Dr. Harleen Quinzel - Psychiatrist