Carcere of the mind: Some experiences of homes in the hospital de Alienados de Pernambuco in the Estado Novo

Abstract

Much has been written about the History of Madness and Psychiatric Institutions, but there are few studies that attempt to unravel the labyrinths of madness, bringing to the surface - even if subtle and fragmented - aspects of the life of those considered "crazy", presenting story data of life inside and outside the walls of hospices. Our objective is to recover important data about the history of some men in situations of psychological distress, during the period they passed through the Observation Pavilion and, later, hospitalized in the Hospital of Alienated, space that was not only destined for medical practice, but which was implanted in a network of power and knowledge in the field of institutional psychiatry. It is the medical records that provide us with significant clues for reconstitution of the inmates' trajectory in the Alienated Hospital. As an indispensable source, we used some books from the male medical records corresponding to the Estado Novo period, marked by authoritarian positions of its interventor Agamenon Magalhães.