Psychiatric playground

I recently had the pleasure of visiting a former mental hospital which was also used as a sanatorium for patients suffering from tuberculosis. These two areas of medical care have more in common than one would first expect due to the nature of the frequent tuberculosis outbreaks in the beginning of the 19th century. Quite often, the survivors who escaped the illness and the probable slow death often ended up being the last survivor of their families. Due to this, the suicide rates were very high in medical facilities caring for the survivors.

According to the prevailing method of treating tuberculosis at that time, the sanatoriums were often located in remote areas with fresh and dry air, often surrounded by forests. From a modern medical viewpoint, the main advantages of these installations were most likely the improved sanitary conditions rather than mountain air, compared to the surrounding villages and the inadequate hygiene that was common at that time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All images were captured by Henrik Sundberg and Linda Fredling. Equipment used: Sony A99 & Sony A900, Minolta AF 50/1.4, Minolta AF 17-35/2.8-4.5 & Sigma 12-24