Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital
Encyclopedia
Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital also called the Souris Valley Extended Care Centre was a public hospital in Weyburn, Saskatchewan
. Originally called the Weyburn Mental Hospital when opened in 1921, it was the largest building in The British Commonwealth and was considered on the cutting edge of experimental treatments for people with mental disabilities. The facility had a reputation of leading the way in therapeutic programming. At its peak, the facility was home to approximately 2,500 patients. The hospital was an early example of Socio-architecture
.
Many of the early techniques used by the hospital included insulin therapy
, hydrotherapy
, lobotomy
and electroshock; by 1954 experiments using Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) therapy were done on volunteer staff and eventually applied to patients. Much of this early work conducted by Humphry Osmond
and Abram Hoffer
.
There were several attempts to save the historic building that made up the hospital complex. However in 2009 the decision was made by the city to demolish the buildings. A tender for the demolition of the building was awarded to Demco Decommissioning & Environmental Management Company of West Seneca, New York on September 19, 2008. The demolition was completed by the end of 2009.
The history of the facility is explored in the documentary Weyburn: An Archaeology of Madness.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. Originally called the Weyburn Mental Hospital when opened in 1921, it was the largest building in The British Commonwealth and was considered on the cutting edge of experimental treatments for people with mental disabilities. The facility had a reputation of leading the way in therapeutic programming. At its peak, the facility was home to approximately 2,500 patients. The hospital was an early example of Socio-architecture
Socio-architecture
Socio-architecture is a phrase coined by psychologist Humphry Osmond and Canadian architect Kyo Izumi as part of their research for the best architectural form for Osmond's Weyburn Mental Hospital in 1951....
.
Many of the early techniques used by the hospital included insulin therapy
Insulin therapy
Insulin therapy is the treatment of diabetes by administration of exogenous insulin.Insulin is used medically to treat some forms of diabetes mellitus. Patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus depend on external insulin for their survival because the hormone is no longer produced internally...
, hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
, lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
and electroshock; by 1954 experiments using Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) therapy were done on volunteer staff and eventually applied to patients. Much of this early work conducted by Humphry Osmond
Humphry Osmond
Humphry Fortescue Osmond was a British psychiatrist known for inventing the word psychedelic and for using psychedelic drugs in medical research...
and Abram Hoffer
Abram Hoffer
Abram Hoffer was a Canadian biochemist, physician and psychiatrist. Hoffer developed a theory that nutrition and vitamins may be effective treatments for schizophrenia...
.
There were several attempts to save the historic building that made up the hospital complex. However in 2009 the decision was made by the city to demolish the buildings. A tender for the demolition of the building was awarded to Demco Decommissioning & Environmental Management Company of West Seneca, New York on September 19, 2008. The demolition was completed by the end of 2009.
The history of the facility is explored in the documentary Weyburn: An Archaeology of Madness.
External links
- Weyburn Mental Hospital at the Virtual Museum of CanadaVirtual Museum of CanadaThe Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...