Voices from medical records

After the closure of the San Servolo psychiatric hospital in 1978, its precious archive was preserved and safeguarded as a unique historical heritage, consisting of medical records, administrative documents, registers, photographs

The medical records
The oldest medical records preserved in the archive are dated 1825. Starting from 1874, they began to be equipped with photographs, according to a use derived from the criminological field

In 1877 a new medical record model was adopted where, on the basis of Cesare Lombroso's theories, there is a page dedicated to the survey of the patient's anthropometric measurements   

The administrative documents
A certificate of poverty, generally drawn up by the parish priest, was necessary for the admission in San Servolo Asylum of a publicly dependent patient (1825)

The photos
In the Comparative album, the photograph of the patient taken at the time of his entry is placed next to the one taken before his discharge (1880 ca)

Giovanni. Psychiatric report on an uxoricide
Is he to be considered as a morally free man or not? Was he morally free or not when he mistreated his wife to the point of making her die  as a result of his beatings? (1827)    

Giuseppe. Poverty and madness
He became taciturn, refused food and, although he was in restricted ways, gave all his gains to the poor for the souls in purgatory, leaving the family without bread  (1847)

Giovanni. Misery and pellagra
He lived in a hut devoid of air and light. Rather frail, little nutrition, infamous food, misery ...  Predisposed to pellagra to heal from which he resorted to the hospital several times  (1877)

Maria. Hysteria
Since about three years she suddenly changed her temperament, she became habitually sad and indulged in the practice of such an extreme asceticism that it put her out of mind (1880)   

Regina, a victim of pellagra 
His only food was 'polenta'. Housewife and weaver. Poor intellectual aptitude. Education none. She is mild, hardworking, sensitive. She is dominated by hallucinations, she screams, threatens, sings (1885)

Vladimir, painter
For five years he has heard voices that torment him especially when he works ... Under the domination of these voices he has perfected his visual faculty: he says that now he sees more artistically, more symbolically  (1907)

Samuel, a case of moral madness
Gifted with exceptional, indeed phenomenal intelligence, endowed with vast culture, polyglot and poet, brilliant, satirical, he died suddenly on his bed, in the Asylum of San Servilio. Was he really mad? (1908)

Letter from don Martino to the director of the asylum
I implore the mercy of your most Reverend Lordship to welcome me into His Asylum, which I already regard as my only refuge and remedy to heal from a monstrous, terrible monomania (1852)    

Letter from Gaetano to the hospitaller brothers
Asylums are permanent gallows, universities in which one learns to do what wild men do, slaughterhouses of humanity ... (1908)    

Letter from a soldier to the president of italian parliament
Salandra Antonio, President of Parliament, what a beautiful title you have been able to acquire among ignorant peoples with your friend Sonnino ... Do not You feel remorse, you cowards ...?  (1917)    

Postcard from a soldier to the Virgin
Blessed Virgin Mother, you who are the protector of charity, grant me the grace to hide my children under your mantle. When I get out of this prison, I will disobey myself. Protect my wife ... I embrace you and kiss you, Vincenzo (1917)  

Letter from Ida Dalser to  Benito Mussolini 
While I am far away, a prisoner in a very vulgar Asylum, subjected to hunger, torture ... you have never suffered for love, you have always taken from life ... everywhere, without scruples, with the right of the strongest (1936)

Birth certificate 
with stamp declaring belonging to the Jewish race (1941)

Electroshock therapy
from 1938 became the most practiced therapy, as shown by the examination of many medical records