Pathways of Patients at the Grahamstown Lunatic Asylum, 1890 to 1907
by Rory du Plessis
2020
ISBN: 978-1-920538-88-0
Pages: 260
Print version: Available
Electronic version: Free PDF available
About the publication
Pathways of patients explores the casebooks of the Grahamstown Lunatic Asylum during the superintendence of Dr Thomas Duncan Greenlees, from 1890 to 1907. The hallmark of Pathways of patients is an examination of the asylum’s casebooks to bring into view the humanity of the patients, their distinct personal experiences, and their individuality. The book is underpinned by an allied goal to retrieve the casebook narratives of the patients’ life stories, their acts of agency, and their pathways to and from the asylum, with a view to understanding and portraying the context of patient experiences at the time.
Table of Contents
List of Figures and Maps
List of Tables
List of Appendices
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
1 The context of the study
2 Methodology
2.1 A blueprint for researching casebooks
2.2 The patients of the Grahamstown Lunatic Asylum
3 Outline of this book
2 Committal and pathways into the asylum
1 Introduction
2 Pathways to the asylum
2.1 General hospitals
2.2 The Chronic Sick Hospital
2.3 Gaol
3 Arrival at the asylum
4 Context and circumstances of asylum committal
4.1 Statistical tables and scholarly studies
4.2 Narrative patterns
5 Conclusion
3 Daily life and pathways out of the asylum
1 Introduction
Part I
2 Escape
3 Death
4 Transfers
4.1 Transfers to Robben Island
4.2 Transfers to the Port Alfred Asylum and the Fort Beaufort Asylum
4.3 Transfers to Valkenberg Asylum
5 Repatriation
6 Parole
7 Probation
8 The permeable asylum, family visits, and negotiations
Part II
9 The Chronic Sick Hospital
10 Recovery routes for black subjects
11 Recovery in white women
12 Conclusion
4 Pathways back into the asylum
1 Introduction
2 Readmission narratives for black patients
3 Readmission narratives for white female patients
4 Readmission narratives for white male patients
5 Conclusion
5 Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendices
Index