In the Depth of Memory

The Uriach Foundation safeguards a valuable bibliographic collection dedicated to the evolution of the health sciences. Its holdings,  ranging from ancient treatises to contemporary works, preserve the memory of the pharmaceutical, botanical, and humanistic knowledge that has accompanied the holistic care of people throughout the centuries.

At that time, “madness” was regarded as a threat to social and moral order rather than as an illness that could be treated. Misunderstanding and stigma shaped the lives of those who suffered from mental disorders.  

Hospitals for the insane were not true healthcare centers, but rather places where many patients were isolated and forgotten. With limited resources, care often amounted to mere custody rather than genuine treatment or healing, in an era still struggling to understand mental illness.  

This hospital became one of the most important provincial centers in the country. The Memoria describes its organization, the relationships between doctors and caregivers, the economic and social difficulties faced by the institution, and proposes measures to improve the well-being of the inmates.  

The document reveals the tension between caring for, confining, and treating patients. It was a time of transition, when the custodial model still prevailed but some European practices promoting clinical observation, hygiene, and early treatments began to take root. In this search for more humane approaches, natural therapies emerged based on artistic and educational activities.

One of the most striking sections of the manuscript brings together drawings made by the inmates in the hospital’s newly established drawing school. These works reveal their sensitivity and foreshadow.

These pieces, usually copies of sacred images, were a common exercise in the artistic training of the time. Although not original works, their precision reveals remarkable skill and delicacy in execution.

The practice of calligraphy was part of basic education. Moreover, the act of writing fostered patience and perseverance, qualities considered essential for personal growth and everyday discipline.  

These proposals reflect a remarkably modern therapeutic approach—one that anticipated practices later embraced by psychiatry and natural health: therapeutic horticulture, hygienic gymnastics, and artistic activities as pathways to expression and identity.