DANVERS STATE HOSPITAL

"BALANCE OF THE SENSES"

• Danvers state hospital first opened in May of 1878 and was initially known as "State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers"
• The hospital officially closed in 1992
• Publicly the hospital closed because of budget cuts but public opinion says that it closed due to increasingly inhumane treatment to patients.

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"BALANCE OF THE SENSES"

• The hospital was designed to fit 450 people.
• Over the years the patient # grew to over 2000 and the staff stayed about the same

"BALANCE OF THE SENSES"

• There was a building on the premises called the "boiler house" where they could specifically treat patient with TB.
• The hospital preformed lobotomies, insulin shock therapy, simple drug therapy, and electric shock therapy.

PHYSIOLOGICAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS

• When Danvers first opened it was considered a leader in humane society
• They had a patient run farm which they believed helped patients get outside and do normal things
• The hospital administration refused to use physical restraints on the patients and emphasized curing patients rather than merely hiding them away from the public

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL TREATMENTS

• As a result of over crowding and lack of resources the quality of care began to deteriorate as the overwhelmed staff struggled to control the massive number of patients. Patients were soon subjected to lobotomies, shock therapy and “special garments,” presumably straitjackets, as a means of control.

PATIENT TREATMENT

• Patients were initially treated very well and there was numerous heartwarming success stories of patients being healed.
• As the population grew patient mistreatment also grew.
• The hospital aimed to treat the patients with kindness

PATIENT TREATMENT

• Danvers was considered the birthplace of the lobotomy.
• Rumors began to spread about the mistreatment of patients.

PATIENT TREATMENT

• Patients could work on the farm or out in the gardens.
• Because of all of the food that they harvested the kitchen always needed people to work and make food.
• Patients could also paint or draw.

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CITATIONS

• "Danvers State Hospital." Opacityus. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
• GREEFIELD, BETH. "NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES." New York Times (1923-Current file): 2. Oct 14 2007. ProQuest. Web. 28 Oct. 2015
• "Dorothea Dix: Report on the Insane (1843)." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
• Brooks, Rebecca. "History of Danvers State Hospital." History of Massachusetts. 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.