Bethlem Royal Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital | |
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Bedlam in 1896 | |
Established | 1247 as a Priory |
Opened | 1330 as a Hospital |
Current Status | Active |
Building Style | Pre-1854 Plans |
Location | London, England |
Alternate Names |
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Bethlem Royal Hospital is an active hospital for the treatment of mental illness located in London, United Kingdom; and is currently owned and operated by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at the original location of its 1247 founding, it is recognised as Europe's first and oldest psychiatric institution. The Hospital has been closely associated with King's College-London, and remains in partnership with the King's College-London Institute of Psychiatry. The hospital itself remains a major center for psychiatric, neorological and psycholgicla research.
The word bedlam, meaning 'an uproar or confusion', is derived from the hospital's prior name. Although currently a modern psychiatric facility, historically it became representative of the worst excesses of asylum abuses and neglect.