Open AccessKilpauk Mental Hospital: The Bethlem of South Asia – A recall of its history prior to 1970
Author(s) -
O Somasundaram,
Ponnudurai Ratnaraj
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
indian journal of psychiatry/indian journal of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1998-3794
pISSN - 0019-5545
DOI - 10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_431_17
Subject(s) - medicine , lunatic , psychiatry , government (linguistics) , linguistics , philosophy
The magnificent "Institute of Mental Health" has its history almost from 1795 when the East India company appointed Surgeon Valentine Conolly to be in charge of a "House for accommodating persons of unsound mind." After a few transitions, backed by a government order for the construction of a lunatic asylum in a 66 1/2 acre site, the asylum started functioning from 1871. The period of about six decades from its inception could be referred to as "the period of custodial care." However, the quality of care for the general medical problems gradually improved with the creation of separate facilities for some common ailments and also one for seriously ill. Separate wards were also conceptualized for criminal patients and female inmates.