Behind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals

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This week's episode discusses the life, crime, and escapes of Lionel Terry. Find out what brought him to New Zealand and why he committed this hate crime. Learn about how he escaped from both Sunnyside Mental Hospital and Seacliff Mental Hospital multiple times and who finally convinced him to stay.

Trigger warning for strong racist ideologies espoused by Terry.

This episode draws heavily from the book The History of Seacliff by Frank Tod. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode examines the history of Seacliff Mental Hospital after the tenure of Sir Truby King until the closure of Seacliff and Cherry Farm. Learn about how people who had been diagnosed as "mentally defective" were treated. Brace yourself for the deadly and devastating event that finally caused administration to call for a new hospital location. And find out what brought Seacliff to a close once and for all.

This episode relies heavily on the book The History of Seacliff by Frank Tod and an anthology entitled 'Unfortunate Folk': Essays on Mental Health Treatment 1863-1992, edited by Barbara Brookes and Jane Thomson. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode looks at the history of Seacliff Lunatic Asylum during the tenure of superintendent Dr. Truby King. Find out what improvements he made to the asylum and what clinical interests sidetracked him along the way. Learn some of the reasons why he became infamous in New Zealand and some of the reasons why we should review his legacy with caution.

Primary sources for this week's episode include Frank Tod's book The History of Seacliff and an anthology entitled "Unfortunate Folk": Essays on Mental Health Treatment 1863-1992, edited by Barbara Brookes and Jane Thomson. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode examines a lot of history that led to the construction of the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum in New Zealand. Learn why New Zealand had six asylums built within a 20 year span in the mid-1800s and still required more space. Find out why the architect of Seacliff fled to Melbourne following construction of the asylum.

My main sources for this episode include The History of Seacliff by Frank Tod and an anthology called Unfortunate Folk: Essays on Mental Health Treatment 1863-1992 edited by Barbara Brookes and Jane Thomson. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode examines the life and crimes of "Jolly Jane" Toppan. Find out why Jane is considered the first female serial killer in the U.S. and how she escaped detection for almost 20 years.

The main source for this episode is Pretty Evil New England by Sue Colette. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode examines the past century of treatment at Taunton State Hospital and explores the changes that have occurred during that time.

This episode borrows heavily from the book A Brief History of Taunton Lunatic Hospital 1854 to 2016 by Joseph Langlois. All other sources will be listed in the episode transcript.

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This week's episode examines 40 years of the history of Taunton State Hospital. Find out what notorious true crime story may (or may not) have a connection to the hospital. Learn how treatment at Taunton was ahead of its time in so many ways.

My primary source for this week's episode is the book A Brief History of the Taunton Lunatic Hospital 1854 to 2016 by Joseph Langlois. All other sources wil be listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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This week's episode explores the history of the first three decades of Taunton State Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts. Find out why people were sent to this hospital and what major world events led to a dramatic increase of patient admissions at asylums around the state. Learn what a "magic lantern show" was and why the asylum had to have a wall built around it to protect patients.

My main source for this episode is A Brief History of Taunton Lunatic Hospital 1854 to 2016 by Joseph Langlois. All other sources are listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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In this week's episode, I interview photographer Christie Seyglinski. Listen to find out how she got started photographing abandoned Kirkbride hospitals and why she spent a night in an old asylum in 8th grade!

Add Abandoned: Echoes of the Past by Christie Seyglinski to your wishlist now! Available soon. Follow her work on Instagram @christieseyglinski or on Facebook at Abandoned: Echoes of the Past by Christie Seyglinski.

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This week's episode features the story of the tragic murder of 5-year-old Edith Freeman in 1879. Learn why her parents did not mourn the loss of their daughter, whom they said they loved more than life itself, and find out why her father was sent to Danvers Lunatic Asylum in 1880.

Sources are mostly drawn from newspaper articles from the time period (thanks, newspapers.com!) and a blog article by the podcast, "In My Footsteps." All sources are listed at the end of the episode transcript.

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