Karori Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital in Karori. Established in 1854, it was New Zealand's first asylum. The first patient was admitted in the same year, but it would be 1858 before a second patient arrived. The first female patient was Rebecca Parnell, daughter of James Bingham Parnell and Catherine (Kitty) Parish. Margaret Major wrote an article about Rebecca, her background and illness.[1] Poorly run by untrained staff, there was only an occasional doctor's visit, and no attempt at cures. By 1871, there were 23 patients with a variety of disorders. The facility closed in 1873 with the patients transferred to Mount View Lunatic Asylum. In 1875, Karori School opened on the grounds of Karori Lunatic Asylum.[2]
| Karori Lunatic Asylum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Karori, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°17′05″S 174°44′30″E / 41.284682°S 174.741601°E |
| History | |
| Opened | 1854 |
| Closed | 1873 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in New Zealand |
References
edit- ^ "The Mount View Lunatic Asylum". Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. 2008.
- ^ Dekker, Diana (30 July 2011). "Conquering Karori It's sprawling, popular, and has a past. A new history of Karori recalls how only three lifetimes ago the place was forest". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 7 September 2011.