Significance
People need to be aware of the mistreatment that occurred during these times. Without proper education, the stories of these patients will be forgotten and the history of this asylum will be overlooked. Patients were admitted for a number of shocking reasons such as simply being free and “drapetomania”. Drapetomania was considered a mental illness in the mid-1850s which was diagnosed when enslaved people were struck with an urge to “flee bondage and seek freedom.” Individuals were also admitted due to the reasons of emancipation, marriage, being on the wrong side of the street, and disagreeing with a fellow employer. It almost appeared that the hospital's mission was to enslave individuals in another form. The most common Psychosis that made up the report included old age and syphilis. Many individuals did not suffer from the insanity or mental illnesses that we commonly see today. Many older individuals were admitted because their family was not able to care for them in the necessary ways and had nowhere else to turn to. In the year 1915, 146 individuals were unknowingly there. There is a high chance that those individuals did not need to be admitted in the first place. Thirteen individuals showed no symptoms of insanity while being there so they were let go. In addition, eighty-one percent of individuals were considered well enough to be cared for outside of the hospital within a year.
Samuel Adolphus Cartwright, the inventor of drapetomania, believed that black individuals had to be enslaved in order for them to be sane and safe. Many other pro-slavery doctors believed this theory and it was not until James McCune Smith, the first licensed Black medical doctor in America, stood against these lies. [1] He explained that “Freedom has not made us mad” and wrote letters to other doctors disagreeing with their statements. The history of the hospital started with being built on racism and the protection of the business of slavery. Individuals such as Dr. Smith were part of the change in the treatment of African Americans. Without the help and bravery of those who speak out against injustice and discrimination, white individuals of high authority would continue to believe they are the ones in power because no one challenges them.
[1] Smithsonian. “America's First Black Physician Sought to Heal a Nation's Persistent Illness.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution www.smithsonianmag.com/history/james-mccune-smith-america-first-black-physician-180977110/.