Bicêtre

…London in 1247) and the Bicêtre (the Paris asylum for men), were typical of 18th-century mental institutions in which the sufferers were routinely shackled. Inmates of these places were often believed to be devoid of human feeling, and their management was indifferent if not brutal; the primary consideration was to…

…placed in charge of the Bicêtre, the hospital for the mentally ill in Paris. Under Pinel’s supervision a completely new approach to the care of mental patients was introduced. Chains and shackles were removed, and dungeons were replaced by sunny rooms; patients were also permitted to exercise on the hospital…