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Last December, NPR ran a very interesting story on the World War II pacifists who were sent to work at state hospitals by the government, specifically focusing on a man named Charlie Lord and his exposé on the Philadelphia State Hospital (Byberry). Mr. Lord managed to sneak a small Agfa camera in his pocket to show the world what the conditions inside Byberry were like behind closed doors; his drive was to promote the quality of life for these patients and others in similar institutions. These photos, initially shown to Elanor Roosevelt, spurred public outrage when they were published in LIFE magazine's article Bedlam 1946.
The story at NPR put much more context behind the images, and also include some detailed letters written by another conscientious objector, Warren Sawyer. Lord's photos (some of which did not appear in LIFE) were also displayed in a slide show. Follow the links below to NPR's story:
A Peaceful War On Mental Institutions
A Mental Ward Exposed (Lord's photographs)
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Regardless - still a great group of men. All of them are in their 80's and still alive and kickin'
http://www.pbs.org/wgb...x/lobotomist/bedlam/
Anyways, I love NPR but I missed this so, great post. THanks, man.
For those who may interested, I suggest watching the Frontline episode "The New Asylums" on the PBS web site. There is a followup episode posted for viewing also. PBS will be airing "The Lobotomist" again soon, and it can also be viewed online. The story of Icepick Wally, a true madman.
Eldo: Watch the above Frontlines to see what happens today. Also, back in the 80s, very much federal funding was cut that had helped support many health care institutions. That resulted in the extensive closures and release of patients to fend for themselves. Very many of them simply became the wards of our correctional systems, as shown by Frontline.
There is a documentary called "The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It" that was about the CO experience during WWII. It also goes into detail about the Byberry exposé.
Yeah back then you could just be a burden to your family and essentially get "dropped off" at a institution. Then once you're in the system you almost can't help but go crazy; then the downward spiral begins!
Sad times..
I would like to think that equality between mentally stable and mentally disabled people exists today, but I know that it doesn't. I hope we don't go back to this...