Vodskov Åndssvageanstalts historie 1915-1940

The History of the Vodskov Asylum 1915-1940

Kristensen, Allan Skou

4. semester

Historie, Kandidat

2014

2014-08-01

78

Dette speciale undersøger historien om Vodskov Asyl i perioden 1915-1940, et emne der ikke tidligere er blevet analyseret ud fra kilder. Formålet er at belyse asylets udvikling i relation til den generelle historie om det danske sindssygevæsen i samme periode. Undersøgelsen er bygget op om tre temaer: 1) hvorfor og hvordan asylet blev oprettet og drevet, 2) hvem patienterne var og hvilke behandlinger de fik, og 3) lægernes rolle og samtidens medicinske idéer, især eugenik (forestillinger om at styre befolkningens arvemasse). Metodisk trækker specialet på handicap- og eugenikhistorie samt studier af, hvordan afvigelse er blevet defineret, og bygger på arkivmateriale fra Landsarkivet for Nørrejylland. Resultaterne viser, at der trods tidligere udvidelser i området stadig var behov for endnu et asyl, særligt i Nordjylland. Efter en politisk debat, der især handlede om økonomi, vedtog Folketinget en mindre institution end ønsket i psykiatrien. De forventede hurtige udvidelser udeblev: tilføjelserne kom kun sporadisk og i lille skala, og først mod periodens slutning blev de tidlige planer realiseret. I den daglige drift tog bestyrelsen sig af økonomi, administration og logistik, mens læge-forstanderen stod for patientbehandlingen; begge parter blev påvirket af markante personer og ministerielle beslutninger. Patienterne kom næsten udelukkende fra asylets optageområde, og de fleste var voksne. I begyndelsen var kvinder i overtal, men efterhånden som landbruget og børnehjemmet blev udbygget, steg antallet af mænd og børn. Optagelse skete ved indstilling til bestyrelsen og godkendelse af lægen, og der var tre placeringsformer: ophold på asylet, familiepleje og hjemmepleje. Arbejde var centralt i behandlingen: kvinder udførte primært hus- og plejeopgaver, mænd arbejdede på gården og i de nærliggende skove. Smitsomme sygdomme og dødsfald var en konstant risiko. Lægerne inddelte patienter i “arbejdsdygtige” og “plejekrævende”. Behandlingen sigtede mod at opdrage de arbejdsdygtige til at acceptere deres plads i samfundet og udføre stabilt arbejde, så de kunne udsluses til familiepleje. Denne praksis, som var almindelig nationalt og i Vodskov, blev forstærket af Socialreformen i 1933, der lagde ekstra pres på de i forvejen overfyldte institutioner. Udslusning var betinget af sterilisation, som blev taget i brug efter lovgivningen i 1934. Lægerne var uddannet og virkede i en tid, hvor eugenisk tænkning var udbredt. De kom fra andre danske asyler og viste interesse for eugenik. Journalmaterialet lagde vægt på patienternes mentale konstitution og evne til manuelt arbejde. Gennemgangen af sterilisationssager fra Vodskov viser, at nogle sager alene begrundedes eugenisk, men at de fleste forbandt eugeniske, sociale, økonomiske og samfundsmæssige hensyn. Lægerne frygtede især det, de opfattede som manglende seksuel mådehold. Mønstrene i Vodskov lignede de nationale resultater. Selvom Vodskov Asyl var lille i national sammenhæng, var det omdrejningspunktet for livet for patienter, personale, læger og bestyrelse.

This thesis examines the history of Vodskov Asylum from 1915 to 1940, a topic not previously studied using archival sources. Its aim is to place the asylum’s development within the broader history of Danish mental healthcare in the same period. The study is organized around three themes: 1) why and how the asylum was established and run, 2) who the patients were and how they were treated, and 3) the doctors’ roles and the influence of contemporary medical ideas, especially eugenics (beliefs and policies about controlling heredity). Methodologically, it draws on disability history, the history of eugenics, and studies of how “deviance” has been defined, and it is based on records from the Regional Archives of Northern Jutland (Landsarkivet for Nørrejylland). Findings show that, despite earlier expansions in mental healthcare, there was still a need for another asylum, particularly in North Jutland. After a parliamentary debate focused mainly on costs, legislation approved a smaller institution than mental health authorities had hoped for. The expected rapid extensions did not follow: additions were sporadic and small, and only toward the end of the period were the original plans realized. In daily operations, the board handled finances, administration, and logistics, while the doctor-warden oversaw care; both were influenced by prominent figures and ministerial decisions. Patients came almost entirely from the asylum’s designated catchment area, and most were adults. Women were initially in the majority, but as the farm and children’s home expanded, the numbers of men and children grew. Admission required nomination to the board and approval by the doctor, with three forms of placement: residence in the asylum, family care, and home care. Work was central to treatment: women mainly performed domestic and nursing tasks, while men worked on the farm and in the surrounding woods. Infectious disease and death were constant risks. Doctors classified patients as “able-bodied” or “care-demanding.” Treatment aimed to train able-bodied patients to accept their place in society and to work reliably so they could be released to family care. This approach, common nationally and at Vodskov, was reinforced by the 1933 Social Reform, which increased pressure on already strained institutions. Release was conditional on sterilization, which was implemented after the 1934 legislation. The asylum’s doctors were trained and worked in an era when eugenic thinking was widespread. They had backgrounds from other Danish asylums and showed a clear interest in eugenics. Patient records emphasized mental constitution and capacity for manual work. A review of sterilization cases from Vodskov shows that in some instances only eugenic reasoning was cited, although most cases combined eugenic, social, economic, and societal factors. Doctors were especially concerned about what they saw as patients’ lack of sexual restraint. Vodskov’s sterilization patterns closely resembled national results. Although small in a national context, Vodskov Asylum was the focal point of life for its patients, staff, doctors, and board.

[Dette resumé er genereret ved hjælp af AI]

Vodskov ; Åndssvage ; Anstalt ; Åndssvageforsorg ; Hjorth ; Bodil ; Eugenik ; eugenisk ; sterilisation ; handicap ; handicappede ; gunnar ; wad ; Nathalie ; thormona ; christensen ; åndssvageanstalt

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