Civilized communities spend much of their resources on the care of the sick. In present-day Britain nearly half the hospital beds are occupied by the mentally ill, so that even a small improvement in the treatment of these patients will be profitable, both in alleviating suffering and in reducing the burden on the community. In the work reported here, we have adopted certain criteria by which t...

This review traces the history of the mental hospital movement, initially on the world stage, and later in India, in relation to advances in psychiatric care. Mental hospitals have played a significant role in the evolution of psychiatry to its present statusThe earliest hospital in India were established during the British colonial rule. They served as a means to isolate mentally ill persons f...

Libraries in hospitals are now an accepted principle in this country and some others, but before they can reach perfection their establishment in mental hospitals calls for more study, for very ready co-operation by all concerned, and also for much imagination and sympathy. One day when going into a ward of particularly distressed and depressed women, I felt compelled to speak to one who looked...

We may then ask, what in fact are the present conditions within mental hospital walls? In the best, of course?and it may be fair to claim that some of the best are in this country?the conditions are as good as skilled psychiatrists, devoted nursing and congenial scenery can make them : every known form of treatment is available, the recovery rate is high, the patient care even of the chronic an...

The problem of providing adequate care and treatment for patients suffering from mental disorder has become more acute in recent years for many reasons, not least amongst them being the increased numbers and longevity of the population in conjunction with their greater willingness to seek early advice and treatment. As a result, mental hospitals are faced with the dilemma of increasing their ad...