(PSYCHIATRY). (BROADSIDE). Rules for the Attendants and Assistants of the Vermont Asylum.

Promoting Humane Practices

(PSYCHIATRY). (BROADSIDE). Rules for the Attendants and Assistants of the Vermont Asylum. ([Brattleboro, Vermont?]: J. H. Capen, Printer, ca. 1850-70) Single leaf, printed on recto only. (250 x 200 mm.) Small chips at corners, otherwise fine.

A broadside from a pioneering institution serving the mentally ill, reminding employees of the house rules: kindness, attention, and cheer.

Built in 1834, the Vermont Asylum for the Insane (now known as the Brattleboro Retreat) was one of the first private psychiatric hospitals in the US. At a time when inhumane and degrading practices toward mentally ill patients remained the norm, reform-minded institutions such as the Vermont Asylum championed an alternative model known as "moral treatment," emphasizing therapeutic activities, exercise, social interaction, and compassionate staff. One of the first rules on the present list states that employees "must treat the Patients with respect, kindness and attention; and never use any profane, obscene or vulgar language."  (1103)