Political correctness is not such a new phenomenon; I think it has always been with us. The desire to not offend others is rather baked into the cake, as they say.
When I was growing up, there were subjects that were completely taboo. Divorce was considered to be off the table whenever seated at the table; cancer was such a dreadful illness with so little chance of survival that even the mention of it might bring it on; and then there was mental illness.
Today, those first two topics are often discussed openly with little fear or even social stigma. But I think we are still a little sensitive when it comes to mental illness. I suspect it is because we really don’t know that much about it.
These thoughts went through my mind as I took part in a guided tour at the Patton State Hospital Museum in Patton, an unincorporated community near San Bernardino. Interestingly, when it was finished back in 1893, Patton was so big it warranted its own zip code along with a post office.
At its height in the late 1950s, Patton had nearly 6,000 patients with some 3,000 staff. It was the biggest such hospital in California and one of five such institutions.
Originally called the “State Asylum for the Insane and Inebriates,” in today’s PC world such naming has been watered down to just “state hospital.” That’s not nearly so judgemental — although, much of the earliest care for mental problems was of a true judgemental nature, and with a strong moral component.
Even some physical illnesses came under similar scrutiny and therefore were treated at Patton. Tuberculosis, which back then was called “consumption,” along with venereal disease, made the unfortunate carriers “inconvenient” members of society.It’s easy now to look back and criticize such moralizing, but people were doing the best they could with what they knew at the time.
Believing that in some physical way the brain was causing mental problems, 600 or so lobotomies were performed at Patton and the instruments of this procedure are on display. I noted that most of us felt very uncomfortable viewing the display case.
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, a medical treatment most commonly used for patients with severe mental depression or bipolar disorder, also was performed here. Today, these harsh physical cures are cast aside in favor of pharmaceutical medications, which can carry serious after-effects.
The Patton Museum is a small place with about five rooms — all showing the progress of the institution that sits at the bottom of the mountains in Highland.
When it was built, it was along Quaker lines who believed that people responded positively to beautiful surroundings, and the grounds had spacious gardens for people to enjoy. It was such a grand place that visitors often came for the day and bought postcards to send to friends and relatives. Many of these are on display.
The massive Victorian building was built using the design of Thomas Story Kirkdale, but was torn down in the early 1960s in favor of a more modern layout. Also, today the population is some 1,500 patients with about the same number of staff.
Patients now are retained due to court orders, and many of them are awaiting assessment prior to trials.
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If you want to visit this interesting place you have to do a little work as you can’t just show up. You need to send an email, and generally you’ll receive a reply within a week or two.
Guided tours are given on Sundays. Anthony, who was our guide, was extremely knowledgeable after working at Patton for 20 years.
To sign up for a visit, email pshmuseum@dsh.ca.gov and indicate whether you’ll be alone or with a group. Indicate the size of the group. Tours last about an hour and there is no charge for the visit.
It’s well worth the time, and after taking the tour you’ll know a great deal more about a difficult part of life.
“Trevor’s Travels (in Southern California)” is available from amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Reach Trevor Summons at trevorsummons@hotmail.com.
Patton State Hospital Museum
What: California’s first state psychiatric hospital museum
Where: 3102 E. Highland Ave., Patton
Information: www.dsh.ca.gov/Patton/Museum.aspx
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