Record series
Asylum Records
VPRS 7483
1905 - 1953
Closed, Open
North Melbourne
Agencies
This record series was created by:
Sunnyside Licensed House ( VA2860 ): 1905 - 1916
Agencies responsible for this record series: Department of Health III ( VA 4921 ): 2009 - present
Date Range
Series date range: 1905 - 1953
Series in custody:
1905 - 1953
Contents in custody:
1905 - 1953
Function / Content
The following records are included in the series:Units 1-3 Medical Journals, 4.11.1905 - 1.7.1926
Each Hospital for the Insane and Licensed House was required to maintain a Medical Journal under section 37 of the Lunacy Act 1903. Every week the superintendent of the Licensed House was to enter, or cause to be entered in the Medical Journal a statement showing the date, number of patients of each sex in the asylum, the name of every patient who had been placed in seclusion or under restraint since the last entry, the reasons and length of time of the seclusion/restraint, names of patients under medical treatment and for what (if any) bodily disorder, the condition of the institution, and every death, injury, or violences to patients since the last entry.
The Medical Journals are arranged chronologically by the date of report. All the medical details required to be entered under the Lunacy Act were not always entered in the Journal. Some columns were often left blank. The volume recording reports between 1907 and 1911 has not been recovered. The contents of the journals are arranged chronologically by the date of report.
Units 4-10 Case Books
How to locate an individual case history
Case histories were recorded chronologically by date of admission of the patient. Some casebooks include an alphabetical index to patients which gives the page number on which the entry is found. In some institutions, a separate Index to Casebooks was maintained.
When no index is available, it is necessary to determine the date of admission by consulting other records such as Registers of Patients, most of which have alphabetical indexes by patient name. Dates of admission can also be obtained from Nominal Registers, which are arranged alphabetically by patient name. Annual Examination Registers can be used to ascertain dates of admission if other records are not extant and centrally created Alphabetical Lists of Patients in Asylums (VPRS 4779) which cover the period 1849 to 1885 can also be used.
Casebooks in general
From at least 1845 and the proclamation of An Act for the Regulation of the Care and Treatment of Lunatics (8 & 9 Vic c.100), each asylum was required to maintain a Casebook of patients. The book was to be kept in such form as the Governor in Council was from time to time to direct. As soon as possible after the admission of any patient and periodically thereafter, the following details were to be entered into the Casebook:
the mental state and bodily condition of every patient on admission
the history of his/her case recorded from time to time while he/she continued to be a patient in the asylum
a correct description of the medicine and other remedies prescribed for the treatment of his/her disorder
and in the case of death an exact account of the autopsy (if any) of the patient.
Information recorded in the case histories included:
Personal Details
- date of admission
- admission number
- name and address of nearest relative
- by whom brought to the asylum
- previous residence
- age and sex of patient
- whether married, widowed or single
- if any family
- occupation
- habits of life
Medical Details
- form of insanity
- duration of present attack
- if disordered before/if disorder hereditary
- specific signs of insanity
- if suicidal
- if dangerous and destructive
- a brief description of bodily condition
- the history of his/her case recorded from time to time while he/she continued to be a patient in the asylum
- a description of the medicine and other remedies prescribed for the treatment of his/her disorder.
The casebooks usually record whether a patient was transferred elsewhere, discharged or died in custody. A copy of the post-mortem report was sometimes included in cases of death.
These books were to be regularly inspected by an Inspector or other officer appointed under the provisions of the prevailing legislation. It was expected that a full account of the mental and physical condition of the patient would be entered in the casebook on admission of the patient with a further note to be made at the end of each month at least for the first six months and subsequently a full note every six months. However such thorough and accurate notes were not always maintained.
In later years the format of the casebooks was altered slightly. Reference was made to the admission number of the patient and a photograph of the patient on admission was often included. Additional information such as extracts from the required medical certificates and a copy of the Medical Superintendent's report on the mental and physical condition of the patient were often incorporated and additional space was provided for recording the history of each patient.
In 1912 the format of case histories was changed from bound casebooks to looseleaf folio format. The new format facilitated the transfer of case histories with the patients when they were sent to other institutions.
Case Books - St. Helens, Plesant View
These case books were very badly organized and the original system of arrangement and control was not identified. An artificial arrangement has been imposed on the case books for ease of reference.
Unit 7 records the case histories of patients admitted to the institution between 1915 and 1922 when it was known as "St. Helen's".
Unit 5 records continuation notes of cases admitted prior to 1938 but the volume recording the original admission details has not been recovered.
Unit 8 contains continuation notes of cases originally recorded in volume 7.
Unit 9 contains continuation notes of cases originally recorded in volume 8.
Units 4, 5 and 6 document the case histories of patients admitted as voluntary boarders.
Units 7 to 10 may also record the case history of voluntary boarders however, there are no symbols to indicate these on the volumes themselves.
There is correspondence relating to patients placed within the pages of all the case books except unit 6, units 5, 6, 7 and 9 have an index by patient name at the front of the volume which refers to the relevant folio number.
Unit 11 Staff Register and Patient Register
This volume has been used for a number of functions:
a. A register of nurses and attendants employed at Pleasant View which partly indicates their dates of employment. There is a copy of the licence at the front of the volume.
b. A register of patients which records the date of the annual examination of patients held between 1906 and 1953.
This examination, which was required annually for the first 3 years that patients were in residence in an asylum or licensed house, and subsequently one every five years under section 88 of the Lunacy Act 1903, was undertaken by the Government Medical Officer. A report was then to be made to the Inspector-General of the Lunacy Department who in turn reported to the Chief Secretary (from 1950 reports were sent to the Chief Medical Officer of the Mental Hygiene Branch).
Entries are listed in chronological order by date of admission.
This register also functioned as an admission register. Each entry is allocated a sequential admission number. There are separate sequences for male and female patients.
Details recorded include date of admission, admission number, name of patient, dates of examinations, when discharged and dates when the next examinations are due.
Annual summary statistics relating to patient numbers are also recorded in this volume.
How to use the records
This series consists of a collection of records from Sunnyside Licensed House, Camberwell (VA 2860) and St. Helen's (Pleasant View) Licensed House, Preston (VA 2848). This series is an artificial arrangement as these records were created and maintained separately however the records have been placed together into one series to reflect a record keeping system in operation and for ease of reference. Most of these volumes were probably each once part of a larger record series however they are the only records which have been recovered to date.Refer to the Records Description List and note the number of the unit required. The various records in the series are described in detail below.
