Thomas Kirkbride: The Man with a Plan

FIG.1. Picture of Thomas Kirkbride (McElroy)

Thomas Story Kirkbride was born on July 31, 1809 in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.  Raised a Quaker, Kirkbride showed passion for helping others at an early age.  His medical career began when he was just eighteen, under Dr. Nicholas Belleville of New Jersey.  He graduated with a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and in 1840 went on to work in the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane as superintendent.

It was here where he truly found his calling, and sought out to be more involved in the psychiatric community.  In doing so, he helped found the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSAII), now called the American Psychiatric Association (APA).  Wanting to be more involved in the well being of the mentally ill led him to create a plan that would help shape American psychiatry to what it is today.  His plan was called, “The Construction of Hospitals for the Insane,” although it is more widely known as simply, the Kirkbride Plan.

FIG.2. Cover of the Kirkbride Plan (Kirkbride)

The Kirkbride hospitals are best known for their architecture.  Around forty of these beautiful buildings were built between 1847 and 1895.  Around the 1960s, most of the buildings were either abandoned or destroyed, although some have been renovated and are still being used as medical buildings.   The Kirkbride plan was based around a few key elements.  The first was the structure of the building:

 FIG.3. General layout of the Kirkbride asylums (McElroy)

There was an administration building in the center, then two wings on either side for the less problematic patients, one side of the building would be strictly for women, the other side for men.  As the wings got farther from the administration, the patients’ cases would get more severe. This is where the phrase “back wards” came from. 

FIG.4. Danvers State Hospital (Okay)

Kirkbride’s idea of the layout was so that the patients would be able to get sunlight, and be away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  He believed that even though these people had psychiatric problems, they were still valuable individuals in society and should be treated as such.  He believed that having a job that helped run the hospitals would build self-confidence and purpose.  Fresh air and exercise were also very important elements to Kirkbride’s Plan. 

Unfortunately funding was cut short for these hospitals once known as havens, which turned them into a hell for many.  Although they were closed, Kirkbride's Plan changed the way we look at the mentally ill today.  If you would like to know more about the Kirkbride Buildings, click here.

Through my research, I found the story of a woman by the name of Marie Balter.  She lived in the Danvers State Hospital for twenty years of her life.  She ended up graduating from Harvard University, becoming an advocate for the mentally ill and writing a book about her journey called Nobody's Child.  It was then turned into a movie in 1986.  To learn more about her inspiring story, watch this documentary called, Beyond Mental Illness: The Journey of Marie Balter.  There are 6 parts, all available on YouTube.  Unfortunately uploading has been disabled, but you can watch it by clicking here.

Another great documentary that I found on YouTube has to do with more just a background on mental hospitals of that time.  If you want to know about the conditions, it's a great resource.

Works Cited

"Danvers State Hospital." Danvers State Hospital. TechNet.com, 03 Nov 2011. Web. 14 Dec 2011.

Design Okay. An old photograph of the Danvers State Lunatic Asylum Kirkbride building.. N.d. Graphic. Wallpaper MavenWeb. 14 Dec 2011.

Farrar-Parkman, Debra, prod. Beyond Mental Illness: The Journey of Marie Balter. danversstateinsaneasylum.com, 2007. Film.

The Iowa Hospital for the Insane at Independence Iowa. 1873. Blueprint. Thomas Industries, Independence. Web. 14 Dec 2011.

Kirkbride, Thomas. On the construction, organization, and general arrangements of hospitals for the insane: with some remarks on insanity and its treatment. 2nd ed. Philadelphia : Lippincott, 1880. 320. Print.

McElroy, Ethan. "Kirkbride Buildings." Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride. Kirkbridebuildings.com, 2011. Web. 5 Dec 2011.

Washington, Janette, dir. For the Incurable Insane. 2008. Film.