Ugly Historical Facts 

All across the world mental patients and the incarcerated were used in the name of scientific exploration. For centuries experiments are performed on people. Some were racially motivated experiments, others done to unwanted children of wealthy families, and administered to the poor with unfortunate backgrounds. Individuals with mental illness or a disability were locked away for eternity, especially the criminally insane, severely autistic and manic depressives. Severe mental illnesses were kept in padded cells, heavily sedated, or received shock treatments, lobotomy (holes drilled in the frontal lobe or forehead), and placed in straight jackets. This stereotype predates the first scientific discoveries, early 1600’s, and other ancient civilizations. The Greek God Hephaestus.

Historically, the facilities had deplorable and unsanitary conditions. Doctors including hospital staff would abuse and brutalize resident patients daily. Some wealthy families had “disappointment rooms” in their mansions where family members who were physically deformed or mentally ill were kept and cared for. Never having a full life these family  members were a well-kept secret. Their rooms were locked from the public or prying eyes.  Grave stones were erected in backyards to resemble death especially, if they were accused of violent crimes. When authorities came for an arrest many mentally ill persons were hidden inside mansion walls, basements and attics. 

Major legislation and protocols are  implemented to protect their rights from the brutality of the scientific community. However, mentally challenged and disabled people remain  our lower-class citizens because of their limitations. They are the most vulnerable in a crisis.  Unsanitary facilities private and government owned were closed or burned down by the general public. Sanatoriums were fined by government agencies and forced to erect heavy fencing with strict security and safety guidelines. Although many policies have changed, more has to be done. Today, mental illness remains stigmatized along with the facilities. Many have lawsuits pending decades because of the groundbreaking discoveries.

You can read more about it:

• • Experiments included high-risk cancer treatments, the application of strong skin creams, new cosmetics, dioxin and high doses of LSD. Many incidents were documented in government reports, ACLU findings and various books including Acres of Skin by Allen Hornblum.
  • From 1969 to 1972, an extraordinary experiment played out in 12 psychiatric institutions across 5 US states. Eight healthy people — including David Rosenhan, a social psychologist at Stanford University in California, who ran the experiment — convinced psychiatrists that they needed to be committed to mental hospitals.
  • The 100 prisoners problem is a mathematical problem in probability theory and combinatorics. In this problem, 100 numbered prisoners must find their numbers in one of 100 drawers to survive. The rules state that each prisoner may open only 50 drawers and cannot communicate with other prisoners.
  • 13 Horrifying Cases of Human Experimentation