Anthropology

Reminds one of having heard about Bedlam:

To raise hospital income, London’s Bedlam Asylum allowed, for a penny, public and casual visitors to stare at caged patients

Feb 21, 2017 Goran Blazeski

London’s Bethlem Royal Hospital, nicknamed Bedlam, is one of the world’s oldest hospitals for the treatment of mental illness accepting patients suffering from “insanity” since the 14th century. It was the first institution in Europe to specialize in mental illnesses, but it is also remembered for its scandalous history as world’s most notorious mental asylum. In fact, it was so notorious that its nickname Bedlam entered the English language meaning ‘an uproar or confusion.’

It was founded back in 1247, during the reign King Henry III, by the Italian Bishop Goffredo de Prefetti as the Priory of the New Order of St Mary of Bethlem and originally served to help raise money for the Crusades via alms collection. It was originally located in the parish of St Botolph, Bishopsgate’s ward, just beyond London’s wall on the site that’s now covered by Liverpool Street station in the City of London.

People with depression, dementia, schizophrenia, epilepsy, anxiety, learning disabilities and other mental illnesses were subjected to horrendous cruelty and experimentation by the managers of the facility known as “keepers.”

The Daily Mail reports that Bedlam was racked by scandals. One inmate died after his intestines burst, having been chained in a confined space for years. Others slept naked on straw in the cold, tormented by sadistic keepers.

More:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/21/to-raise-hospital-income-londons-bedlam-asylum-allowed-for-a-penny-public-and-casual-visitors-to-stare-at-caged-patients/