Urbex: Abandoned Insane Asylum
759Welcome to an exploration of an abandoned and creepy insane asylum in Ontario. It opened in 1870 after taking two years to build. After changing names several times throughout the course of its life, it finally closed its doors in 2014 although this particular building has been abandoned much longer.
By 1924, there were 1,200 patients here. This building was the exam building or infirmary building which made up a group of buildings on the property. The main hospital building and other buildings (north building and cottages) were demolished in 1975. The newer hospital on the grounds was built in 1965 and patients were transferred to that one around 1967, although, there is evidence of the asylum still being in operation until around 1990. The newer hospital on the grounds just closed its doors in November of 2014. All patients were transferred to a newer hospital.
The main hospital buildings were built in 1870, this one was built in 1904 as they needed more room. The main building held the chronically-ill long-term patients. This building, the exam building, was for the acute-ill that they felt they could cure. Their stay ranged anywhere from three days to three years. The wards were similar. Some were private and some were dorm style. They also had solariums at the end of each ward (east and west) where patients could sit and socialize while getting some fresh air and sun. They were gender specific. The center block was where the nurses stayed and was also the surgical area where skylights were used as a natural lighting source for the surgeries.
Many gynaecological surgeries were performed at the Insane Asylum as the second superintendant (a reknown doctor), believed there was a correlation between the female sex hormones and mental health. He performed over 200 surgeries on women hoping to cure their insanity. Within a 3-year span, he believed he cured or saw an improvement on 71 female patients. The specific type of surgeries were hysterectomies, respositioning of the uterus to a normal position, removing dieseased ovaries and tubes, etc.
Restraints were used, but the reknown doctor tried to limit them as much as he could believing in a "moral therapy" (labour activities) as he felt restraining only made them worse. He tried to create a less institutionalized setting for the patients. If the staff were reported using them, they were reprimanded. He also felt females needed to be restrained more than males as he felt the males were easier to control. Even though restraints were allegedly abolished in 1883, there were reports that they had continued their use.
Alcohol was used as a sedative before the advent of medication.
Hydrotherapy was used as another form of treatment. Hot or cold water was used depending on the mental illness. This could be in the form of continuous hot baths that could last overnight to a few days. Cold packs or sprays were used to calm down some of the patients.
Insulin shock therapy was used since the early 1930s but very dangerous. Insulin was used to induce the seizures or comas during the shock therapy. In 1939, they used the drug Metrazol to induce the seizures. Finally, in 1943, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was introduced and used up to three times per week over the course of a three-week period. The dangers of this therapy were fractured bones from the convulsions and brain damage. It is still used on some patients today even though it is controversial.
Lobotomies were performed between 1944 to 1967.
Unfortunately, this building is in so much disrepair, the government had no plans to restore it. The land has since been purchased by a land developer with plans to turn the entire property into a neighbourhood with multiple condos, highrise apartment buildings and streets.
Enjoy!
Sources: https://www.lib.uwo.ca/archives/virtualexhibits/londonasylum/index.html
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