What went on inside the old insane asylums was never a calm and healing sight. There were punishments, long periods of extreme boredom, and days of backbreaking work.
The “defectives,” as they were called, were considered subhuman and were treated worse than animals simply because society did not know what to do with its homeless, unwanted wives, and the elderly.
Held Down
Inside the Territorial Insane Asylum, it was a common punishment in the women’s ward, 1903, to hold down a disagreeable patient. This involved coming up behind the female patient, throwing her down onto the floor, and having four to five other patients sit on her. While the patient is incapacitated, the matron would put her hand over the patient’s mouth to prevent her from screaming. Barely able to breath, the patient would have to agree to absolute compliance before being allowed back up.
Sentenced to Bed
Another popular form of punishment for the patients in the asylums was to strap them down onto a bed for hours at a time. These patients were also often denied dinner and would have to remain immobile until someone decided to take some form of pity on them.
To the Door
A rather Medieval form of punishment involved strapping patients to their cell doors. They would remain in the rigid, upright position until absolute exhaustion set in.
Water Cure
There were many different water “cures” in the early 1900s. One involved strapping a patient to a steam pipe and then hitting him directly with the fire hose. Being strapped upright prevented the patient from falling over, but it also made him take the full force of the blast.
Ferris Wheel
The “Ferris Wheel” was a complicated form of torture, but it was described in an article from 1903:
“The patient is stripped, his hands are crossed in front of his knees which are drawn up and then strapped. A broom or rod is then passed under the knees and above the arms and this is placed across a tub. The tub is filled with cold water and all is ready. The patient is then revolved on the rod as a pivot. The head is kept under water as long as possible and then he is half turned again.” [1]
