Editing San Antonio State Hospital
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==History== | ==History== | ||
− | In 1889 the Texas legislature passed a bill establishing a state mental institution to serve Southwest Texas. The new facility was to occupy at least 640 acres and be capable of housing 500 patients. It was to be known as the Southwestern Insane Asylum (not the Southwestern Lunatic Asylum, as it has sometimes been called). A site was selected | + | In 1889 the Texas legislature passed a bill establishing a state mental institution to serve Southwest Texas. The new facility was to occupy at least 640 acres and be capable of housing 500 patients. It was to be known as the Southwestern Insane Asylum (not the Southwestern Lunatic Asylum, as it has sometimes been called). A site was selected just south of San Antonio, and the new facility began operation on April 6, 1892. |
− | In the first eight months of operation the patient population grew to 142. By August 23, 1894, there were 225 patients. Provisions for 300 more patients were authorized when $70,000 was appropriated in 1898, and in 1910, $100,000 was voted for expansion | + | In the first eight months of operation the patient population grew to 142. By August 23, 1894, there were 225 patients. Provisions for 300 more patients were authorized when $70,000 was appropriated in 1898, and in 1910, $100,000 was voted for expansion. By 1912 the facilities could accommodate 1,140, and improvements were valued at $500,000. By 1915 the hospital's capacity was 1,800. In 1917 a training school for nurses in psychiatry was begun. This school, the only one of its kind in the state system, continued with a three-year course until 1942. |
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By 1925 the word "hospital" was substituted for "asylum" in state asylums, and such adjectives as "insane" and "lunatic" were dropped from their names; the Southwestern Insane Asylum then became the San Antonio State Hospital. In 1926 the average number of inmates stood at 2,103; the superintendent reported the hospital full and emphasized the need for additional facilities. A social service department was added in 1926, and occupational therapy was expanded. By 1932 the population had increased to 2,308, and crowded conditions were again reported in 1934. Five new buildings were completed by 1939; together with a nurses' home they enabled the hospital to provide complete modern treatment for patients. | By 1925 the word "hospital" was substituted for "asylum" in state asylums, and such adjectives as "insane" and "lunatic" were dropped from their names; the Southwestern Insane Asylum then became the San Antonio State Hospital. In 1926 the average number of inmates stood at 2,103; the superintendent reported the hospital full and emphasized the need for additional facilities. A social service department was added in 1926, and occupational therapy was expanded. By 1932 the population had increased to 2,308, and crowded conditions were again reported in 1934. Five new buildings were completed by 1939; together with a nurses' home they enabled the hospital to provide complete modern treatment for patients. |