Bedlam: The story behind the London mental hospital that came to mean hell on earth

The word “Bedlam” conjures up scenes of wild chaos and confusion but, in the 13th century, it was linked to one specific place: The Bethlehem Royal Hospital in London. This was the first asylum in England, founded in 1247, and it cared for the mentally ill free of charge. It still functions as a psychiatric hospital today.

A current exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London (which will run until Jan. 15, 2017) examines the history of Bedlam and our attitudes to mental health over the centuries. Mike Jay, guest curator of the exhibition, explains that while Bethlehem Royal Hospital refers to a specific factual place, “Bedlam” became it’s popular image, “it’s mythic twin or double.”

“Bedlam becomes this proverbial place of madness because it’s the first and for a long time the only home for people who, at that time, were called ‘mad’ in the country,” he explains. There were ballads and songs written about Bedlam and it became “a theatrical cliché.”

http://qz.com/798351/bedlam-the-story-behind-the-london-mental-hospital-that-came-to-mean-hell-on-earth/