Historical Perspective of Dharwad Forensic Mental Health Services during Pre-Independence Era: A Retrospective Study

In 21st century, writing the recent history of mental health services requires a conscious departure from the historiographical tropes of the past three centuries which have emphasised the experience of those identified (and legally defined) as ‘lunatics’ and the social, cultural, political, medical and institutional context of their treatment. A historical narrative structured around rights (to health and liberty) is now complicated by the rise of new organising categories such as ‘costs’, ‘risks’, ‘needs’ and ‘values’[1]. In this article, we summarise the historical perspective of mental health services as well as the growth and development of an institution over the past two centuries. The current study compiles the historical data from available century-old mental health records that reflect the challenging medico-legal scenarios witnessed by the persons with mental illness (PwMI) and mental health professionals during pre-independence era in India.