Topeka State Hospital, more known as the Insane Asylum of Topeka, opened in 1872 to become a crazy and insane center. For over 100 years, reports of abuse and murder left the hospital, and eventually closed in 1997 due to abuse and overpopulation.
During its operation, the state hospital was infamous for its forced sterilization program, the use of hydrotherapy, and castration to treat "imbeciles". Numerous reports detailed patient neglect, rape and beatings. Most unbelievable was that no one was able to do anything about the atrocities inside the hospital because the workers and doctors were protected by the Kansas state government.
Nothing remains of the original hospital, and many people felt that the building was delighted. It was demolished and removed in 2010. The workers even removed the concrete slabs so that there was absolutely nothing left of the place where the hospital once was.
1.- Room 18 of Topeka State Hospital
Newspapers from the late 1800s were full of reports of abuses taking place inside the asylum at Topeka State Hospital. In one particular case, a witness presented information about an inmate named Dodd.
The witness stated that he had seen an assistant beat Dodd on numerous occasions. Dodd was often beaten on the floor, and the assistant jumped over the prisoner's chest. Sometimes Dodd was strangled as well.
In his last beating, Dodd was shot down, and the witness stated that Dodd was dragged to room 18. The door closed and the witness heard noises that sounded like a fight. Finally, he heard a groan from inside the room, and Dodd finally died because of what would make him inside that room.
A county prosecutor tried to take action against the assistant, but the governor of Kansas refused to initiate an investigation into the death, and the matter was dropped.
2.- Dies of hunger
In the spring of 1911, charges were filed against Topeka State Hospital that was supposed to begin an investigation. The charges were made by past and current employees on the condition and treatment of patients trapped within the hospital.
A local newspaper printed part of the letter that was filed: "I want to make the statement that John Green, a patient in Ward E, 2, lay in bed for eight days and died; And during this period they did not give him food or medicines. They reported on their condition every morning and nothing was done. "
Green's body was taken to the dissection room, his brain extracted and used in a demonstration by Dr. T. Biddle before a class in the chapel the next day without the consent of Green's relatives. Biddle wanted the brain to demonstrate the condition of a congested brain. Attendants Roberts and Johnson could not be convinced, since they knew well that the patient had died of starvation.
3.- Vilificado Lawyer
To say that no one was trying to fight the abuses that occur in the hospital would be a lie. Many lawyers tried to take up cases or initiate investigations into allegations of abuse, but they were always threatened.
Hanson, a lawyer, tried to secure the release of several patients at Topeka Hospital. He was unsuccessful, and his patients were returned to captivity without receiving an examination or hearing. To add insult to injury, the attorney general filed a lawsuit against Hanson for "harassing state officials in charge of Topeka State Hospital and disturbing patients in the hospital."
4.- Increases madness
In 1916, there was a report that madness was on the rise in Kansas. The state totaled 4,311 cases of insanity, with 1,565 of the afflicted being stored at Topeka State Hospital.
It was a big deal to declare someone crazy, especially when the state could take care of the patient's property. For example, there was an important case in 1918. An indigenous woman from Pottawatomie was declared "mentally ill" and was detained at Topeka State Hospital. She had considerable property in Oklahoma. The woman's guardian was in charge of the farm, but Kansas loved it for the "care" of the woman.
Efforts were made by the courts and newspapers to vilify the woman's guardian, claiming that the guard was "looting" the property, so that the state of Kansas could take control and benefit from the estate.
5.- Restricted Visits
People who were sent to Topeka State Hospital were often never seen again by the outside world. It was easy to forget relatives and unwanted spouses once they were inside.
However, visits to those who were loved were severely restricted. Of the 29 hospital rooms, only four of them were allowed to visit. Parents were not allowed to visit their children in the hospital. Friends of the prisoners were not allowed inside either and had zero visitor rights.
Biddle, the hospital's supervisor, said visits could interfere with the treatment of patients.