Patients in the 'large concern of charity'. The v. Bodelschwinghschen mental institutions 1924 to 1949

• Applicant: Dr. Uwe Kaminsky
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2016 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 325055324

The relation between psychiatry and society during the 19th and 20th century has been subject of extended research with special focus on cultural history. However, a systematical description and a compilation of social data about patients in asylums do not exist. The aim of the proposed project is to compile a thorough historic report of the everyday life in the v. Bodelschwinghschen Anstalten Bethel which constituted the biggest private institution for people suffering from epilepsy, mental illness or mental disabilities. The history of the institution and their patients will be analyzed using a representative sample of historic patient files from 1924-1945. We will focus on specific biographical aspects including the patients' everyday life, their decease and their death. The findings will be statistically compared to a control sample of patients from the asylum Gutersloh. A total of 2300 files will be evaluated with the help of a newly-designed data entry form (see attachment) und will be analyzed using SPSS Advanced Statistics in order to compile a collective biography of the patients and the institution caring for them.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants