In general, the patient records include:
- the patient’s name
- the dates of their admission and discharge
- spouse’s name and profession
- who and why patient was admitted
- basic details of their history (age, place of birth, current residence)
- details of their illness or disability
- patient case books (one page or more of notes on patient)
- date of death (if they died in the asylum)
- some records include a photo (many don’t).
- Admission warrants
- Patient registers
The patient record that quiped my interest was one from Ararat, the Aradale Asylum. It had photos! As they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, this one or all three speak to you.
The January 1908 admission photo is of a 27 year old who was admitted suffering sun-stroke. He was discharged 10 months later, healthier and cured (very few Discharges have photos). However he was re-admitted 2½ years later in May 1911, still apparently with the same suit but looking drawn. The record for the re-admission is very brief and it looks like he was released after just 12 days.
Aradale |
Like the prison or criminal record photos, these asylum photographs serve to portray these people as 'real people'.