Lunatic Asylums and Indigenous Australians during the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Lunatic asylums formed part of the civic infrastructure that was constructed out of British colonists invading and subsequently colonising unceded, Indigenous Australian lands during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This historical narrative examined nineteenth century primary and secondary sources including, patient lists, medical files, and government correspondence, to provide insight into the experiences of Indigenous Australians admitted to Australia’s earliest lunatic asylums. Awareness that lunatic asylums formed part of the structure imposed during colonisation, provides nurses and other health professionals with greater historical literacy regarding the impact of colonial lunatic asylums on Indigenous Australians. Such impacts continue to be experienced through transgenerational trauma and emphasise the importance of culturally safe mental health services.

Acknowledgments

The authors recognise the under acknowledged contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to land, sea, culture and community. In this paper we have respectfully used the term “Indigenous Australians” to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.