#vordingborg

"The sorting of patients into disruptive and calm was an important separation principle in psychiatry. In general, the hospitals were divided into four or five types of wards that each had a particular purpose. The newly arrived patients were admitted to the first of these wards, a “reception and observation department,” which consisted of several large interconnected bed wards where the admitted patients could be constantly observed. The reception wards were divided in two, with calm and disruptive patients kept separately. If the patients’ condition improved, they were often moved to a “transition ward,” where the conditions were a little freer. If there were further improvements, they could be transferred to a “reconvalescence ward,” where the patients were to regain their strength, were active throughout the day, worked and were prepared for discharge. The patients whose illness made slow progress were placed at the “care wards,” which were divided into calm and disturbed. Finally, there were special “sick or invalid departments” that housed hospitalised patients with physical illnesses and the elderly, infirm or senile patients. These wards were also divided the same way as the others. The total number of beds for wards with disturbed patients was 40–50% of the hospital’s beds. The committee whose task it was to investigate the most appropriate layout for a psychiatric hospital believed that this, together with the outdated hospital buildings, was a serious problem.