The Milan asylum

This article focuses on the psychiatric hospital in Milan and its relocation away from an urban context. Founded in 1775, the hospital was initially housed in the Senavra, a former Jesuit convent outside Porta Tosa. Its foundation entailed the relocation of the in-patients from the Hospital of San Vincenzo, hitherto used for the internment of the insane, located within the city walls. Through unpublished documentation from the Archive of the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan, this article investigates the life lived inside the Senavra hospital, investigating the spaces of the hospital and how they changed over time, and considers the recreational and work activities carried out by the inmates. In reconstructing the history of this institution, detailed consideration is given to the move to Mombello, illustrating how this was dictated by hygienic, logistical and care requirements (as well as the cholera outbreak of 1865) which impacted and accelerated a pre-announced transfer.