Portes ouvertes sur l'institutionnalisation de la folie à Québec : étude de l'Asile de Beauport, 1845-1893

The author examines the second-half of the nineteenth century process of institutionalizing madness in asylums in Quebec City. Specifically, his study is concerned with the "Asile de Beauport", the first permanent asylum in the province of Quebec. He points out that the establishment was managed by three generations of owners, from its opening in 1845 until 1893, when it fell under the management of the Soeurs de la Charité de Québec. The main focus of the author's research examines the experiences and interactions between different players involved in the process of institutionalizing madness: owners, medical and non-medical staff, the State, the patient's family and community. The first two proprietors of the Beauport Asylum were Dr. James Douglas (1800-1886) and Dr. Joseph Morrin (1794-1861), both Scottish-born physicians. The third proprietor was Dr. Charles Jacques Frémont (1806-1862), a French Canadian whom the author describes as being "immersed in the English culture since his parents moved to Montreal where he studied at an English school." The author gives a statistical breakdown by language, ethnic origin and gender of the patients at the asylum during the period under review. He points out that French Canadians formed the largest ethnic group at the asylum, but that the Irish "were strongly represented" in the 1850s and 1860s.

Master's thesis

Université Laval

Québec

2017

xi-218p.

fr