New York State Department of Mental Hygiene Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital Patient Case Files
Statement on Language
Some content in this finding aid may contain offensive terminology. For more information on why this language is occasionally retained, see: New York State Archives Statement on Harmful Language in Descriptive Resources.
Overview of the Records
Repository
- New York State Archives
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
Summary
- This accretion consists of 22 bound volumes documenting patients admitted to Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital (later Middletown Psychiatric Center) between 1874 and 1898 and discharged through 1936. Case numbers range from 1 to 5258. Information on each patient includes name; place/ county of residence; date admitted; case number; class (public, private, county, or indigent); source of maintenance; sex; civil condition; number of children; occupation; education; religion; place of birth; insane relations; number of previous admissions; date, duration,and form of present attack; physical condition on entrance; cause of illness; and correspondent (individual to contact).
Title
- Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital patient case files
Quantity
- 9 cubic feet; 22 volume(s)
Inclusive Dates
Bulk Dates
Series Number
- 14231_01
Creator
Arrangement
Chronological
Scope and Content Note
This accretion consists of 22 bound volumes documenting patients admitted to Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital (later Middletown Psychiatric Center) between 1874 and 1898 and discharged through 1936. Case numbers range from 1 to 5258.
The amount, type, and format of information vary over time. Initial examinations are based upon a set of questions used by hospital staff during patient admissions; these questions can be found in the institution's published reports (Annual report of the Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital., Middletown, N.Y. : The Hospital, 1871- (Albany : James B. Lyon)). Typically information on each patient includes name; place/ county of residence; date admitted; case number; class (public, private, county, or indigent); source of maintenance; sex; civil condition; number of children; occupation; education; religion; habits (temperate or intemperate); place of birth; insane relations; number of previous admissions; date of attack; number of attack; age at first attack; duration of present attack; form of attack (primary, intermediate, or terminal; suicidal or homicidal);
Also: physical condition on entrance (condition of tongue, eyes, pulse, heart, lungs, menstruation, masturbation or sexual excesses); cause of illness; correspondent (individual to contact). Narratives generally conclude with a summary description of symptoms, followed by weekly examination notes for duration of stay, treatment notes, discharge dates, whether the patient was recovered, improved, unimproved, or dead, cause of death, and autopsy report numbers. Later records include extensive physical information and medical histories.
From 1885 handwritten transcriptions of the admitting physician's commitment order precede summary descriptions. Starting in 1891, male and female patients are relegated to separate case books; also African-American patients are denoted as "colored" and patients admitted by criminal court proceedings as "criminal" in red pencil across the top of the page. Transferring institutions are noted at the top of the page.
Beginning in 1882, silver gelatin photos are frequently bound with case histories; photographs often show patients at different phases of treatment; in a few instances post-mortem photographs of patient brains are included. Other documents bound or tipped into the case records include correspondence to and from patients, and, in the case of patient death, to relatives or agencies; official typescript commitment orders; newspaper clippings; correspondence from institutions treating patient's children requesting a patient's records.
Related Material
This accretions forms part of Series 14231, Patient Case Files. The catalog record for the series provides a fuller description of case files and case books for all state psychiatric centers.
Other Finding Aids
Volume list.
Each volume contains an alphabetical name index in the front.
This series is indexed by B1742, Patient Indexes.
Custodial History
This series was transferred to the State Archives from the Middletown Psychiatric Center in June 2000 and accessioned in January 2001.
Access Restrictions
Restricted in accordance with Mental Hygiene Law, Section 33.13, relating to confidentiality of clinical records. Access is permitted under certain conditions upon approval by the Office of Mental Health.