This year, Saint Elizabeths Hospital ( SEH ) is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Saint Elizabeths occupies a unique place in the history of American psychiatry. Located at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue S.E. in Washington D.C., its long and storied past began with its founding by Dorothea Dix, the renowned 19th century reformer, whose goal was – more... "to provide the most humane care and enlightened curative treatment of the insane of the Army, Navy and the District of Columbia." When the doors of Center Building opened to admit its first patient, Thomas Sessford, on January 15, 1855 Saint Elizabeths was the only federal government hospital for the mentally ill. Until 1947, the Hospital played a prominent role in treating the military during the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. By the 1940s, Saint Elizabeths covered an area of over 300 acres and housed 7,000 patients.
Throughout its history, Saint Elizabeths has been a center for research and innovation in treatment and care. It has also been a major educational resource, training psychiatrists, psychologists and other health professionals, and has attracted prominent members of these fields to its halls. The hospital's first five superintendents were elected president of the American Psychiatric Association and its predecessor organizations the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSAII) and American Medico-Psychological Association. The hospital's first superintendent Charles H. Nichols M.D. (1852 - 1877) introduced innovations in hospital design and construction. Center Building with its wings in echelon represented an improvement on Kirkbride's linear plan and the design change subsequently was incorporated into the Kirkbride's Second Edition of On The Construction, Organization, and General Arrangement of Hospitals for the Insane.
The 1881 trial of presidential assassin Charles Guiteau, at which both Dr. Nichols and William W. Godding, MD, the hospital's second superintendent (1877-1899) testified, marked the hospital's long and notable involvement in forensic psychiatry. Following Guiteau's conviction and subsequent hanging, Dr. Godding attended Guiteau's autopsy. This event solidified Godding's belief in the importance of studying the effects of mental illness on the brain in order to understand and effectively treat mental disorders. Consequently, in 1884, Godding hired Isaac W. Blackburn, M.D., who established the first pathology laboratory in a mental hospital in the United States. Under Dr. Godding the hospital also established Howard Hall in l891, one of the early special facilities in the United States for the care and treatment of the criminal insane.
William Alanson White, M.D., the Hospital's fourth superintendent (1903-1937) and a major figure in early 20th century psychiatry, ushered in the scientific era at Saint Elizabeths Hospital. In 1907 he established a psychology laboratory under Shepherd Ivory Franz and the first Psychotherapy Department in a mental hospital under William Kempf M.D. This tradition continued under Dr. Winfred Overholser, the fifth superintendent (1937 - 1962). During his tenure, Saint Elizabeths expanded treatments to include psychodrama, art, and dance therapy. Dr. Overholser also developed a chaplaincy service that became a model for other psychiatric hospital programs in the United States.
Luther Robinson, M.D., (Acting 1969-1972, Superintendent 1972-1975) was the Hospital's first African American superintendent. He developed one of the country's first treatment programs for the hearing impaired mentally ill and guided the hospital through many organizational and policy changes. Dr. Robinson's groundbreaking work earned him numerous awards from his peers and the scientific community.
Saint Elizabeths Hospital was transferred from the federal government to the District of Columbia in l987. Today, SEH is part of the city's Department of Mental Health. Under the leadership of Joy Holland, RN, the first African-American woman to head the hospital, SEH is revitalizing its services to patients and its relationship with the community. Looking toward the future, the SEH is preparing to break ground for a new, state of the art building which will combine clinical and forensic services. – less – More from ZoomInfo »
