At the time when Lennox Castle Hospital was being planned, thinking about learning disability was greatly influenced by a theory of human development known as eugenics.
In the resource, ‘Eugenics in the past and today?, you?ll find some explanations about this theory. Read it and then return to this page to answer some questions.
1 What would you say was the philosophy behind care provision at Lennox Castle Hospital? You might like to look again at the pages from The Book of Lennox Castle to see how Glasgow Corporation described the hospital. You may also wish to note down anything else you see.
Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it.Though the author of The Book of Lennox Castle uses words like ‘sympathy? and ‘the unfortunates?, the hospital?s site, its rules and regulations and the context in which it was planned and built suggests that the philosophy of care was much more about control, discipline and segregation. Nothing that you?ve seen so far suggests that residents at ‘the castle? were treated as individuals or members of wider society, or that they had any choice about their lives.
2 What similarities and differences are there between discussions about eugenics around the time Lennox Castle Hospital was being planned and built and today?
Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it.Similarities: eugenics is still associated with judgements and negative stereotyping and finding ways to improve the human species.
Differences: the focus for eugenics today is more on individual choice where previously the focus was on society and ‘the race?. Today the focus is genetic manipulation; then the focus was segregation and sterilisation.
We can see that, with the best intentions and with no money spared, Lennox Castle Hospital set out to be in advance of its times. However, it?s also the case that the hospital, at least in the first forty or so years of its life, provided what looks like a cruel and isolating existence for its many residents. So far you?ve been able to consider the evidence for this from documents, but what about the people who lived and worked there? Might they tell a different tale?
You should now have an idea of what life in Lennox Castle was like and to what extent you feel it matches Goffman?s idea of the total institution. You should also have an idea of the philosophy that led to the building of a place like Lennox Castle, and what can be learned about the lives of residents and staff, from the documents and photographs you saw.
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