The Burghölzli Hospital
The Early Years
In 1860, Wilhelm Griesenger, a German psychiatrist and neurologist, began to work towards opening an institution that would provide humane care for people with mental health issues. Two years later, he used publicly donated funds to purchase the land where the Burghölzli now sits. Griesenger did not live to see the hospital's completion, he died two years prior to its opening in 1870.
The first three directors (Bernhard von Gudden, Gustav Huguenin, and Eduard Hitzig) believed that mental illness could be attributed solely to biological factors, and focused on brain pathology and physiology. The fourth director, August Forel brought a new approach which combined the biological focus of German psychiatry and France's dynamic psychiatry which emphasized emotional processes. This shift in thought brought the clinic international attention and recognition.
Illustration of the Burghölzli Hospital.
Eugen Bleuler's Tenure
Eugen Bleuler was the director of the Burghölzli from 1898 - 1927. During his tenure, both Carl Jung and Ludwig Binswanger worked at the hospital, and Sabina Spielrein was treated as a patient before enrolling in medical school. Under Bleuler, the hospital became the first clinic to utilize and test Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories and therapeutic methods. In his role as director, Bleuler is also remembered for working against institutionalization and advocating for early discharge, and is thus viewed as one of the early adopters of the community psychology movement.
Eugen Bleuler.