






The archives contained within the hospital represent a
rich and, as
far as we are aware, unique collection of material relating to the history
of mental health in Ireland. The combination of exceptionally detailed and
well-preserved documents, together with diverse materials left by patients
is probably without parallel for any other institution of its type.
The backbone of the archive is the Registers of Admissions, which span the
period from 1814 to 1987. They offer tremendous scope for longitudinal analysis
of admissions over an exceedingly long time period, as well as rich data
concerning occupation, reasons for admission and so forth. Historians will
therefore be able to discern periods of treatment, as well as to build up
a social profile of those admitted to the hospital. They will also be able
to gain much from the male and female case books, which cover the period
from the late 1880s to the late 1950s.
The Registers of Admissions also contain photographs of the vast majority
of patients admitted from the late 19th century onwards. The early use of
photography within the discipline of psychiatry has been the subject of historical
study, but rarely has such an intact photographic and documentary archive
presented itself. The photographs fit into a genre of ‘psychiatric
photography’ wherein physicians attempted to document ‘types’ of
patients and in some cases to depict the appearance of symptoms. Although
photography was used, and has been catalogued for such notable institutions
as Bethlem Hospital in London, this is the first such significant photographic
collection for an Irish hospital that we are aware of.
Other notable features of the collection include the Register of Criminal
Lunatics and the case books of the Richmond War Hospital, the latter providing
some important insights into what happened to soldiers suffering from ‘war
neuroses’ during the Great War. Among other things, these case
books show that many of those diagnosed with mental diseases during the war
had in fact suffered from malaria rather than battlefield trauma. The
archive is also fortunate to have many administrative records which give
details of meetings, social events, and so forth, together with a collection
of objects that significantly illuminate psychiatric practices within the
hospital and the day-to-day life of the patients and staff.
The archives mentioned above are all in excellent condition and are well
catalogued, however the hospital also contains a large mass of ephemera left
behind by patients. While most of these objects are of little historical
value, a search revealed a number of items that would be a significant addition
to any archive and which would be fascinating to professional historians
and the general public alike. These included a short, hand-written account
of admission to the hospital and of the patient’s feelings at the time,
and a book of poetry which appears to have been written by a patient at the
hospital. It is likely that the material in this wing will yield many more
important finds, providing rare glimpses of patients’ perspectives
on a psychiatric institution.
Overall, the archives at Grangegorman have the potential to illuminate most
aspects of the history of psychiatry in Ireland, and not least the place
of the institution within the local community. It will provide excellent
subject matter for exhibits in the proposed museum and the rich archive is
likely to form the basis of a number of historical research projects in the
future.
