The Willard State Hospital probably has the richest, best recorded history of all of the old asylums-turned-mental-hospitals. And like all of the rest of them, there were numerous atrocities committed against its many patients/inmates throughout its 126 year history. Likewise, the bad science and quackery of its various treatments and approaches throughout its history were frequently much more harmful than beneficial. I have chosen not to highlight such things in this particular video, however. Initially, and dating well back into the 1800s, the whole system of insane asylums that would ultimately become our nation’s mental hospitals were built with good intentions and on positive premises. Unfortunately, and almost without exception, all of the good intentions and hopeful ambitions gradually faded away and fell in the face of the base cruelties and ignorance of those who sought to manage the facilities, work within them, and pass laws pertaining to them. The rampant prejudices of the general public, combined with society’s almost complete disinterest, only made life within these institutions all the more unbearable, as well. But that’s not the way that the people initially constructing the system had ever foreseen their facilities being operated within, and such was never their desire. So, in this video, I’ve sought to instead share the ways in which the system attempted to operate and the goals for its residents that it attempted to pursue. And yes, Willard probably ultimately failed miserably in almost all such ways. Much of what they tried to do was good, however, and even though they frequently failed in their attempts, there is much to be learned from their well-intentioned efforts. What’s more, we can also see in them the potential for positive benefits and heartfelt care that still exists for our treatment of today’s mentally ill. Because the need is still ever-present and the potential for us to successfully meet it remains constant. We simply need to overcome our own selves and resist the perpetual downward pull of our society in general in order to meet it.
W. Ray Bertram
A Tourist In The Land of Reason
Musical backing track provided by Fesliyan Studios
/ fesliyanstudios
Specific backing track used:
• 1 Hour Sad Music | Emo...
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