In the thirteenth century there lived a man named Simon FitzMary. He was probably distinguished by an enviable energy and administrative talent, because despite his rather modest origin, he managed to become the sheriff of London twice. In addition, Simon must have been very sympathetic to the suffering, for in Bishopgate (London) he allocated a plot of land in order to build a haven for the infirm and destitute (now there is Liverpool Street station). As a result, in 1247, Bethlehem Hospital arose as part of the monastery of the New Order of the Blessed Mary of Bethlehem, which later became known as Bethlem or simply Bedlam. I will say in advance that not a word will be said about Simon Fitz-Mary in this sketch. So let's say goodbye to this gentleman immediately.

The institution was small, only 12 "hospital wards", and was supposed to be for the poor and sick. The idea is certainly noble. But for some reason, only the building was erected directly above the cesspool (that is, the sewerage system of that time), which served all the buildings of the complex. Naturally, the drains periodically clogged, and sewage seeped out, filling the space with unimaginable malice.

16th century plan

Obviously, already in the second half of the XIV century, the monks began to take care of people suffering from mental disorders. Although it is not possible to speak with certainty about what was going on there at that time due to the lack of information. Nevertheless, historians believe that the “insane” were kept in harsh conditions: the clergy were convinced that the path to mental health lay through the torture of the flesh, so the “treatment” most likely came down to corporal punishment, the strictest fasting and unceasing prayer in solitary confinement. cameras. The first official mention of the presence of insane people in the institution dates back to 1403, when a special commission visited the hospital. The report mentions "six mente capti male patients". In addition, visitors found "four pairs of shackles, eleven chains, two pairs of stocks" and other wonderful devices that were probably used to pacify violent (and not only) guests.

Sometime in the 1370s, the management of the hospital passed to the crown, and then really serious problems began. In the sense that the monks tortured the unfortunate, guided by the best of intentions, and government officials - selfish interests. It's about good old corruption. The hospital existed on alms: kind people donated food, clothes and other necessary things, and the employees of the institution sold it all (either to patients, if they had the means, or to the left) or consumed it themselves. In other words, the administration gave the hospital a minimum of time, while trying to extract the maximum personal benefit. As early as 1403, Bedlam's treasurer, Peter Taverner, was accused of money laundering and embezzlement, so to speak, of state property. And in 1598, during a visit to the next commission, it was revealed that absolute unsanitary conditions reigned in the hospital (in the sense of dirt), and the patients were on the verge of starvation. Around this time, the word "bedlam" began to be widely used in the sense of chaos and chaos.

It is noteworthy that the first qualified doctor to serve as the director of the institution was a person with a speaking surname Helkia Crooke (Helkiah Crooke

1 ). It was the court doctor of King James I, who enjoyed a fair amount of authority. Probably, Crook took science seriously: in 1615 he wrote an anatomy manual with the mysterious title "Mikrokosmographia".

Pages from the book Mikrokosmographia

This work, in particular, contained images of the genitals, which caused the serious anger of representatives of the Church, who declared the book "indecent." In addition, Crook was the attending physician of William Jaggard, who published the works of Shakespeare, including in a pirated way (more on that later).

Nevertheless, this respectable-looking gentleman turned out to be dishonest. In 1632, Crook was fired as director of the hospital on charges of corruption, money laundering, and absenteeism (avoidance of attendance at work).

Given such a negligent attitude of employees to the performance of their duties, it is not surprising that by the 1600s the hospital was in a deplorable state, so drastic measures had to be taken. As a result, in 1676, an impressive building was built, on either side of the entrance of which two statues were installed, personifying "Melancholy" and "Violent insanity."

Bedlam's Second Building, engraving by Robert White

In the 17th century, the hospital administration decided to earn extra money, and the doors of the institution were opened for private visitors. The pleasure cost only twopence. There are reports that holidays crowds of idle people (often of noble birth) rushed there, thirsting for spectacles. Such “excursions” were served, of course, under a noble sauce, they say, visitors have the opportunity to see live examples of what a vicious life leads to. It was believed that "madness" is a consequence of the excessive sinfulness of man. Here is what a contemporary writes: “Nowhere else on earth will such a lesson be taught as in this school of suffering. Here we can see these "thinking" creatures that have sunk below the level of insects. This can induce us to learn how to moderate our pride and keep our passions in check, because breaking free, they can expel the mind from its container and level us with the unfortunate inhabitants of this abode of grief.

In this regard, I would like to mention the artistic masterpiece of William Hogarth (1697-1764), which is called A Rake's Progress. This "comic book" of eight canvases tells the instructive story of the fictional Tom Rakewell, who received a large inheritance and rolled downhill, ending up in Bedlam.

1 Heir

2 Social success

3 The Fall Begins

4 Arrest

5 Marriage

6 Gambling house

7 Prison

8 Crazy House

But, of course, the visitors did not think of any benefit. People came to the "abode of grief" exclusively for entertainment. “At least a hundred people began to run around the room uncontrollably, teasing and mocking the unfortunate patients. So the insults of this jubilant crowd caused fits of rage among many unfortunates, ”says a witness of one of the excursions (XVIII century).

By the end of the 18th century, the attitude in society towards madmen softened somewhat. It is believed that this was due to the mental illness of King George III. In any case, after the 1770s, the hospital was closed to the public, and permission from the manager was required to enter.

King George III, portrait by Alan Ramsay

At the same time, historians believe that after the cancellation of visits, the hospital turned into an absolute hell for patients. Suffice it to recall Dr. Brian Crowther, who in the early 1790s took a job as chief surgeon at Bedlam. In this era, physicians were indiscriminately fond of applied anatomy, that is, the dismemberment of corpses and a visual study of the human structure. But for experiments, they could only use the bodies of executed criminals. Therefore, the dead "goods" were in great short supply. In this regard, the practice of stealing corpses became widespread: enterprising adventurers emptied fresh graves and delivered bodies to the surgical table for a decent, naturally, reward. But in Bedlam huddled people abandoned by everyone, whose corpses no one claimed. Therefore, when he arrived at the hospital, Dr. Crowther found himself in a kind of medical Eldorado. He was formally assigned to care for living patients. However, he was mainly interested in "dead stuff". The surgeon was very enthusiastic about dissecting the brains of deceased lunatics, trying to find physical evidence of insanity. His activities were completely illegal. To some extent, he can be called a gentleman of fortune, who hunted on the high road of science. And very successfully: he worked in Bedlam for twenty years. Although he failed to identify the causes of madness.

Crowther's senior comrade John Haslam, who became director of the hospital in 1795, also won notoriety. He was convinced that the only way to cure a madman was to break his will. Therefore, under him, unfortunate patients were subjected to all kinds of tortures. And it is not known how long this could have continued if not for the Quaker Edward Wakefield. This philanthropist suspected what things were going on within the walls of the institution, and was eager to get permission for an official visit at all costs. Of course, he was hindered in every possible way. But in 1814, he still got his way and visited the hospital, accompanied by the manager of the hospital and one of the members of parliament.

What they saw shocked visitors: darkness, stench and half-naked, chained patients. An American, James Norris, was reportedly held there. This man was wearing something like a harness with a chain, which went through a hole in the wall into the next room. From time to time, employees, as needed, pulled the chain, and the unfortunate man hit the wall painfully. How long has this poor guy been suffering? Wakefield asked. - Years 12, - they answered him.

James Norris

The case ended in a serious scandal. Haslam and Kruter were released in peace, but the problem of the mentally ill and conditions in hospitals was finally addressed. In the following decades, the country's parliament adopted a number of laws, which, of course, contributed to the improvement of the situation. Although, of course, before people with mental disorders began to be treated like human beings, a lot of time passed.

There are many horror stories about cases of torture and violence in this institution. But, sorry, I don't want to mention them.

Let's turn now to treatment. Here, to be honest, everything is simple. Almost until the 19th century, European medicine adhered to ancient theory, according to which the state of a person depends on the balance of the "four juices of the body": blood, black bile, yellow bile and mucus (phlegm). For example, the predominance of black bile causes depression, and an excess of blood leads to excessive activity. Therefore, the main methods of healing were bloodletting, as well as various laxatives and emetics. Bedlam was not original, and patients there were brought to their senses in similar ways. Along with this, as mentioned above, methods of torturing the flesh and suppressing the will were practiced. In other words, the sick were kept on starvation rations, beaten, shackled, put in solitary confinement, and so on. But there were also specialized methods. For example, "rotation therapy", developed by Erasmus Darwin - the grandfather of the founder of the theory of evolution, Charles.

Erasmus Darwin, portrait by Joseph Wright, 1792

The technology was as follows: the patient was put on a chair, tied with ropes to the ceiling, and untwisted. The duration and speed of rotation was determined by an experienced doctor. - Whats wrong with that? - you ask. - After all, spinning for a couple of minutes is very pleasant. I agree, if it's a couple of minutes. But the prisoners of Bedlam were forced to spin for several hours at a speed of under a hundred revolutions per minute. After that, they vomited excruciatingly, which was considered extremely useful for restoring mental health. By the way, it is worth noting that not everyone was put in the hospital, but only those who were strong enough to withstand this horror.

Moreover, the classification of diseases did not exist. And madness was considered any deviation from the norm, including learning disabilities (learning disabilities) and epilepsy. Therefore, absolutely normal people were kept in the same room with patients with schizophrenia and paranoia, not to mention the fact that all

Here you live life and you don’t know that under your nose you have so many interesting things and stories. It would seem a simple and popular word in everyday life, but it pulls such a thread, so deep into history that you would not have guessed. We have already promoted a lot of things with you, but now this question.

Do you know how the word "Bedlam" came about? I'm telling...

The word "Bedlam" comes from the name of the Bethlem Royal Asylum. Bedlam(English) Bedlam, from English. Bethlehem- Bethlehem; official name Bethlem Royal Hospital- English. Bethlem Royal Hospital), the original name is the hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, a psychiatric hospital in London (since 1547).

The hospital was built in London at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The people called it "Bethlem Hospital" or simply - "Bedlam". Later, the word "bedlam" became a household word. They denoted disorder, confusion - which, in general, is very typical for a lunatic asylum.

London Bethlehem Hospital for the Insane Bethlehem hospital for insane) was built opposite the famous Tower. Since 1547, the insane and "blessed" have been brought here. At that time, six crazy men were kept in the clinic, who were shackled with eleven chains and several shackles.

By the 17th century, the number of Bedlam prisoners had grown greatly. The violent here were also chained up. Donald Lupton, who visited Bedlam in 1630, described the sounds familiar to the hospital as follows - “crying, squealing, roaring, swearing, clanging of chains ...”

At one time, Charlie Chaplin's mother, Hannah Chaplin, was kept in Bedlam.

In the 18th century, Bedlam also became a tourist attraction. The guests of London were first shown the Tower, London Bridge and the city zoo, and then they were led to stare at the famous insane. Bedlam's patients included playwright Nathaniel Lee, Oliver Cromwell's personal porter, artist Richard Dadd, and others.

In 1815, a gigantic, exemplary hospital for those times was built on this site - the mentally ill were no longer kept in chains and starved. In Shakespeare's play King Lear, Edgar, the son of the Duke of Gloucester, plays the role of the Bedlam Beggar in order to remain unnoticed in England after his exile.

By 1900, about a hundred thousand (!) psychiatric hospitals were built in England according to the Bedlam type. Most of them were private and looked more like prisons than clinics.

For example, Hogarth, William "A Rake's Progress" (1735) is one of eight paintings by William Hogarth dedicated to the rise and fall of Tom Ruckwell, a mote, the son of a wealthy merchant. He arrived in London, spent all his money on a beautiful life, whores and blackjack, after which he was sent to prison, and he ended his days in a psychiatric hospital - in that same Bedlam. By the way, beautifully dressed women can be seen in the background of the picture. They are quite normal (for their time). It was just that then it was entertainment - to go for money and look at psychos.

When the photo appeared, many masters of photography frequented the hospital, creating galleries of patients ...

The madmen from Bedlamov's hospital were released into the street so that they could collect alms.

Today, Bedlam remains a functioning hospital, employing the most advanced technology in the treatment of mental illness. In 2008, a new building with 89 beds was opened in the hospital. The hospital has a small museum and archive. The exposition of the museum presents objects of ancient furnishings, in particular, furniture of the 18th-19th centuries, as well as works of art created by her patients. Among them you can see sculptures and paintings by artists such as Louis Wayne and Richard Dadd.

- (eng. Bethflem). The famous hospital for the insane near London, the foundations. in 1247, as well as a lunatic asylum in general. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. BEDLAM Eng. bedlam. Asylum in London... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

bedlam- the devil will break his leg, the devil himself will break his leg, everything is upside down, poetic disorder, doomsday, Babylonian pandemonium, madhouse, everything is upside down, confusion, pitch hell, confusion, collapse, jumble, confusion, mess, ... ... Synonym dictionary

bedlam- Etymology. Comes from distortion. English from Bethlehem. History. Initially, Bedlam was an English monastery of the sisters and brothers of the Star of Bethlehem, founded in 1247 by the mayor of London, S. Fitmary, and was originally a place of official receptions. By… … Great Psychological Encyclopedia

Bedlam- (from distorted English from Bethlehem) originally, Bedlam was an English monastery of the sisters and brothers of the Star of Bethlehem, founded in 1247 by the mayor of London S. Fitmary and originally a place of official receptions. According to… Psychological Dictionary

BEDLAM- BEDLAM, bedlam, husband. Chaos, noise, confusion, chaos. This is not a meeting, but some kind of bedlam. (According to the name of the insane asylum in London: Bedlam, originally meaning Bethlehem.) Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

Bedlam- from English. bedlam chaos, confusion on the stock exchange, in entrepreneurial activity in moments of upheaval. Dictionary of business terms. Akademik.ru. 2001 ... Glossary of business terms

BEDLAM- (English bedlam from Bethlehem Bethlehem, a city in Judea), 1) originally a hospital. Mary of Bethlehem, then an insane asylum in London2)] (Trans.) lunatic asylum; chaos, confusion... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

BEDLAM- (English bedlam is the name of the insane asylum in London) slang: chaos, confusion on the stock exchange in moments of upheaval. Raizberg B.A., Lozovsky L.Sh., Starodubtseva E.B. Modern economic dictionary. 2nd ed., rev. M .: INFRA M. 479 s .. 1999 ... Economic dictionary

BEDLAM- BEDLAM, husband. (colloquial). Confusion, chaos. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Bedlam- From English: Bedlam (short for .Bethlehem). Bethlehem in English: Bethlehem, the biblical city. So, the “Bethlehem shelter” was called in London in the 19th century. all kinds of charitable institutions, overnight houses, hospitals for the homeless, etc. ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions

BEDLAM- (abbreviation of the word Bethlehem), a name that has become a household name for the meaning of "lunatic asylum". In fact, B. is a psychiatric hospital in London, converted from a hostel of the religious fellowship of "Our Lord ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

Books

• , Paramonov B.. The subject of literary and philosophical conversations between Boris Paramonov and Ivan Tolstoy is Russian literature, which the co-authors consider in "personal" chapters. Chronological range - XX century, ... Buy for 737 rubles
• Bedlam is like Bethlehem. Conversations of lovers of the Russian word, Boris Paramonov, Ivan Tolstoy. The subject of literary and philosophical conversations between Boris Paramonov and Ivan Tolstoy is Russian literature, which the co-authors consider in "personal" chapters...

The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. It should be noted that our site provides data from different sources- encyclopedic, explanatory, derivational dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.

Meaning of the word bedlam

bedlam in the crossword dictionary

Economic glossary of terms

(eng. bedlam - by the name of the insane asylum in London) bedlam

chaos, confusion on the stock exchange in moments of upheaval.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

bedlam

bedlam, m. Chaos, noise, confusion, mess. This is not a meeting, but some kind of bedlam. (According to the name of the insane asylum in London: Bedlam, prim. Bethlehem.)

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.

bedlam

Ah, m. (colloquial). Confusion, chaos.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

bedlam

1. Psychiatric hospital, insane asylum.

   trans. A place where there is no silence, order.

Extreme disorder, confusion, chaos.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

bedlam

BEDLAM (English bedlam, from Bethlehem - Bethlehem, a city in Judea)

originally the hospital. Mary of Bethlehem, then an insane asylum in London.

(Trans.) lunatic asylum; chaos, confusion.

Bedlam

(English bedlam, from Bethlehem ≈ Bethlehem, a city in Judea),

originally the hospital. Mary of Bethlehem, then an insane asylum in London.

In a figurative sense - "madhouse", chaos, disorder, confusion.

Wikipedia

Bedlam (film, 1993)

"Bedlam"(; also "Big Bedlam", "Beyond Madness") is a 1993 English film directed by Vadim Jean, a mixture of psychological thriller and horror film, which includes elements familiar from the films A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film stars Craig Fairbrush, Elizabeth Hurley and Keith Allen. This film is an adaptation of the work of Harry Adam Knight.

Bedlam

Bedlam(, from - Bethlehem; official name Bethlem Royal Hospital-), the original name is the hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, a psychiatric hospital in London (since 1547).

The name Bedlam became a household name, at first - a synonym for a lunatic asylum, and later - a word for extreme confusion and disorder.

Bedlam (disambiguation)

Bedlam is an ambiguous term.

Bedlam (film, 1946)

"Bedlam" (English Bedlam is a 1946 horror film produced by Val Lewton and directed by Mark Robson.

The film's script was heavily inspired by William Hogarth's "Bedlam", which is the eighth sheet of his "The Rake's Progress" series. Other works in this Hogarth series are also used in the film as scene transitions and as background credits. Hogarth's name is even listed as one of the authors of the picture, along with the authors of the script Lewton and Robson.

The film, which combines horror with elements of social drama, tells the story of the inhuman conditions of the Bedlam Mental Hospital in London in 1761, and the selfless struggle that a young woman (Anna Lee) begins to reform the asylum, which she wages with her cruel and the insidious leader of this institution (Boris Karloff).

The film was the latest in a legendary B-horror series produced by producer Val Lewton at RKO Studios from 1942-1946, and his third and final collaboration with actor Boris Karloff.

Examples of the use of the word bedlam in the literature.

Come on, stop bedlam- the position obliged to portray a strict old grumbler.

In such bedlam I got to do practice, final, pre-diploma.

Hansa was no longer here, he again plunged into a dirty beggar bedlam, which reigned throughout the rest of the metro, but even for him Artyom was too disgusting.

The truth - if our Girondin friends understood it - is that it is not known where French patriotism with all its eloquence would be at this moment, if this same great hell Bedlam, fanaticism, popular fury and madness did not rise uncontrollably August 10 French patriotism would have been an eloquent memory hanging from the Prussian gallows.

nineteenth-century England even after the greatest of eighteenth-century English poets, Christopher Smart, who spent his years in bedlame and open to readers, first by the aged Robert Browning, and then by the meticulous comparativeists of our time.

And at first glance, in comparison with what is happening around bedlam and chaos, had a remarkably neat appearance.

We, the port watch, stood at the hatch and stared at all this bedlam, committed in a narrow cockpit.

The prisoners moved quietly, half-bent from humiliation, spoke only in a whisper, and only the roll call at the end of each day reminded bedlam, where the general merriment of the madmen reigned: ha-ha-ha-ha!

His blood was inflamed, he fell into a feverish state, and it seemed that his place in bedlame.

Bonnie Bedlam also received serious damage, but the regeneration process is going on at an amazing speed and in a couple of hours she will be completely healthy.

Svetlana Antonovna was looking for some recipe that was lost in the general bedlame.

Often, when a mother comes home from work and sees the mess, she begins to scold the children with the words - what is this bedlam such a disgrace, some kind of madhouse set up here!

Old Tartakovsky in this bedlame dozing in a chair and even snoring.

Bedlam

Bedlam
From English: Bedlam (short for .Bethlehem).
Bethlehem in English: Bethlehem, the biblical city. So, the “Bethlehem shelter” was called in London in the 19th century. all kinds of charitable institutions - overnight houses, hospitals for the homeless, etc.
Allegorically:
1. Noisy, restless place.
2. "Crazy House", psychiatric hospital (us.). In the latter meaning, this expression was used by Leskov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Turgenev and Chekhov.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

See what "Bedlam" is in other dictionaries:

- (eng. Bethflem). The famous hospital for the insane near London, the foundations. in 1247, as well as a lunatic asylum in general. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. BEDLAM Eng. bedlam. Asylum in London... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

The devil will break his leg, the devil himself will break his leg, everything is upside down, poetic confusion, doomsday, Babylonian pandemonium, lunatic asylum, everything is upside down, confusion, pitch hell, turmoil, collapse, jumble, turmoil, mess, ... ... Synonym dictionary

bedlam- Etymology. Comes from distortion. English from Bethlehem. History. Initially, Bedlam was an English monastery of the sisters and brothers of the Star of Bethlehem, founded in 1247 by the mayor of London, S. Fitmary, and was originally a place of official receptions. By… … Great Psychological Encyclopedia

- (from distorted English from Bethlehem) originally, Bedlam was an English monastery of the sisters and brothers of the Star of Bethlehem, founded in 1247 by the mayor of London S. Fitmary and originally a place of official receptions. According to… Psychological Dictionary

BEDLAM, bedlam, husband. Chaos, noise, confusion, chaos. This is not a meeting, but some kind of bedlam. (According to the name of the insane asylum in London: Bedlam, originally meaning Bethlehem.) Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

From English. bedlam chaos, confusion on the stock exchange, in entrepreneurial activity in moments of upheaval. Dictionary of business terms. Akademik.ru. 2001 ... Glossary of business terms

- (English bedlam from Bethlehem Bethlehem, a city in Judea), 1) originally a hospital. Mary of Bethlehem, then an insane asylum in London2)] (Trans.) lunatic asylum; chaos, confusion... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (English bedlam is the name of the insane asylum in London) slang: chaos, confusion on the stock exchange in moments of upheaval. Raizberg B.A., Lozovsky L.Sh., Starodubtseva E.B. Modern economic dictionary. 2nd ed., rev. M .: INFRA M. 479 s .. 1999 ... Economic dictionary

BEDLAM, a, husband. (colloquial). Confusion, chaos. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

BEDLAM- (abbreviation of the word Bethlehem), a name that has become a household name for the meaning of "lunatic asylum". In fact, B. is a psychiatric hospital in London, converted from a hostel of the religious fellowship of "Our Lord ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

Books

• , Paramonov B.. The subject of literary and philosophical conversations between Boris Paramonov and Ivan Tolstoy is Russian literature, which the co-authors consider in "personal" chapters. Chronological range - XX century,…
• Bedlam is like Bethlehem. Conversations of lovers of the Russian word, Boris Paramonov, Ivan Tolstoy. The subject of literary and philosophical conversations between Boris Paramonov and Ivan Tolstoy is Russian literature, which the co-authors consider in "personal" chapters...