November 2018
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VIRUS - Beiträge zur Sozialgeschichte der Medizin
The situation of children with disabilities who were placed in psychiatric institutions in Vienna during the second half of the 20th century has hardly been taken into account by historical research until now. A recent socio-historical study examines two Viennese institutions: Pavilion 15 of the Psychiatric Hospital “Am Steinhof” and the Ward for Children with developmental disabilities of the Neurological Hospital of the City of Vienna. The results provide new insights into the structures and practices of such psychiatric institutions. In this paper the focus lies on Pavilion 15. Four case studies of the lives of patients who were detained in Pavilion 15 from the post-WW II-era until the 1980ies delineate the paths which led to the “Kinderpavillon” and expose its reigning system of negligence and violence. The reconstructions show how psychiatric patterns of interpretation and action, institutional relegation politics, organisational structures as well as care cultures inscribe themselves into real biographies and withheld chances for personal development.
