Bedlam: the asylum and beyond
Fascinating exhibition at the Wellcome Collection looking at the history of the Bedlam asylum and the treatment of mental health. This show was a good mix of good historical displays and contemporary art installations to help illuminate some of the ideas. It looked at how in ancient times the asylum was a space, often a religious place where individuals could seek refuge. I was fascinated in the sections on the town of Geel in Flanders which became a place of pilgrimage, as it housed the shrine of St Dymphna, the patron saint of the ‘mentally distracted’ in medieval times. In modern times the town still offers a system of ‘family care’ where ‘Boarders’ live with families and are part of the town’s life. The sections on Bedlam itself were really well presented and much helped by the slide show put together by Rev Edward Geoffrey O’Donoghue, chaplain from 1892 to 1930, compiled to illustrate the regular lectures he gave as part of a programme of entertainments for staff and ...