Dangerous to Know

Medicine in the mid 19th century was on the threshold of life-saving discoveries and developments so a doctor might use leeches to suck blood one day and an anesthetic the next. But in the zone of mental illness, real treatment was still very distant. Most doctors believed that cold water immersion, straight jackets and brandy would cure a disturbed person. In Queensland's early years as a colony, the government hurriedly ordered a mental asylum to be built at Woogaroo. Another asylum for the poor and chronically ill was set up on Stradbroke Island. To assess people's state of mind, a Reception House was opened in the old barracks on Spring Hill. The medical men, with no training, would oversee these places, and employ staff based on their physical strength. Lack of skill and effective drugs were not the only reasons why patients received little care. The doctors had other priorities. Often described in biographies as medical heroes, many of these men were actually dangerous to know.