*~0~ S s * -- - . - a *a~ a -. * s. **. would like to say Congratulationsl 'Â'itby Mena eith entre7 Durham Region's largestprivately owned telecommunications company ADVANTAGE TEL ECOMMUNICA TIONS S YSTEMS INC. 1621 McEwen Dr., Unit #5, Whitby, Ontario LiN 9A5 Tel: (905) 433-1133 e Fax: (905) 433-1336 (416) 798-7747 tacility onite "pening ot its new Med-Chem Laboratories Limited ua C>,(are an1 Service Since 1970 n the opnening of its newfaciliie ail the OWASCANS.1 INC. IWACI 0 35 MINUTES EAST FROM DOWNTOWN TORONTO The new era By Ingrid Gadsden Up untii the late 1800s and evei into the eariy 1900s people wit] mental ilînesses were often treate4 as outeaste of' society. Many wei iocked in prisons or put away li what were then called "iunatt asyiums."u Within the& insttutions eare was often shoddi and medical treatment rare. However in 1919, when Whitbj Psychiatrie Hospital opened, a nev era in the hurnane treatment ci the mentally iii began. One ofthi most refreshing aspects of Whitb3 was the physical site. Situated 50 kilornetres east ol Toronto and purehased by the provincial government eariy in 1912, the grounde originally considered of 640 areas of tree< and fertile-farmland that siopec gently ta Lake Ontario at the south. For patients who had previously been housed in dark, dark asylums with barred windows, Whitby offered fresh air, sunshine, spaoe to walk ..-. and an opportunity heai. In 1911, the architect James Govan, working with a teain of advisory psychiatrists, physicians and goverrnment officiais, presented his. design for the Whitby hospital. Govans design cailed for a series of 16 large cottages, each housing approximately 70 patients," situated in a village-like setting among winding treed avenues. While the exterior design of the cottages was strongiy influenced by German architecture, any other similarity stopped there. Canadian physicians worked ciosely with their architect to make sure the Whitby hospital would offer a calmer and more humane atmnosphere for patients than other institutions they had seen in their travels. ?n je 3e [y )f ie y1 )f e Ail wards received sunlight The buildings must be situated in such a way, said the physicians, that ail wards in ail cottages receive somne form cf direct sunlight, even during the shortest days. An overhead view cf the site plan indicates that Govan did exactiy that. The main group cf cottages faced southwest, siightly back from the shore of Lake Ontario. To the east were views cf Whitby harbour, te the west, farmland and orchards; ta the northeast, the railroad station and further north, the tawn cf Whitby itseif. No speciai oeremony accompanied the first ground- breakting. On May 6,1913, the first shovel dug into the dirt and construction was underway. In the Initiai building stages, prisoners huom nearby' Central Prison supplied much of the labour. During later stages. of construction, paid labourer. and mechanies worked for wages ranging from 55 cents to $1 per hour. «To ease the transfer of building materiais from the local railway station a mile te the northeast workers buiit a narrow-gauge trunk-iine acroas several fields of Pasture to the construction site. As it turned out this trunk-line became an invaluabie ald in WhitbY's first construction. Sand and gravel taken from harbour From the outset, builders recognized the faet that enormous ainounts cf sand a2nd gravel wouid be necessary ta make the concrete needed for the foundations cf buildings. During the intitial stages cf construction they discovered a method cf mechanicaliy scooping this sand and gravel eut of Whitby harbour and, by using the rail system, they were able ta transport it easily- from the shore ta the sand-sifter where it was drained, sifted and mixed with cernent ta make concrete. Many cf the necessities needed for building were taken care'cf right on the grounds. For instance, an on-site lumber miii türned eut hundreda cf windows and doors needed ta meet the hospital's woodwork requirements, and-, an on-site farm, operated by government workers, provided al the meat, vegetables and- miik neoessary tafée&d construction workers. Later on, this same farm was operated by staff and patients and provided supplies for the hospital population - a practice that continued well inte the 19608. Aside from 16 cottages, Govan's design for the hospital ealled for a wide array cf support buildings including a powerhouse, sewage pumping house, two large infirmaries ( one each for maie and female patients), recreation hall, tubercular and isolation hospitai, chureh and hall, greenhouses and nursery, general stores and workshops, a surgicai and pathological building, severai Itchen and dining needs, doctors' and nurses' residences, maie and female attendanta', residences, residences for officiais, cold starage plant and, flot least cf ail, an administration building. At the end of 1913, seven months after construction had begun, approximateiy 220 workers were engaged on the site, over haif C ongratulations, WhitbyMental Health'Centre on your GadOeng OE HAL Y CAR tOM 4EATr,>A E, Oshaw In 1914, war broke out. While construction continued at the hospital, progrese was definitely siower. Over the neit two years, however,, as more* and more buildings were completed, doctors transferred psychiatric patients from Toronto facilities ta the space and fresh air that Whitby offered. By February 1917, large numbers of soidiers, were returning from overseas. Many were badiy wounded and needed intense, long-term treatment. Sinoe general hospitals were not equpped ta meet sueh needs, the Military Hospitals Commission made arrangements tu lease patient cottages for the purpose of treating wounded solidiers. Between 1917 and 1919, an estimated 3,000 reeuperating soidiers received care at what wasi temporarily renamed "The Ontario Military Hospital.#' By July 4, 1919, ail had returned ta civilian lire. After the soidiers had ieft, the hospital was reopiened in October, 1919, as a psychiatrie facility. Frm 'opening day every available bed 'space was occupied. Work continued on various buildings until 1926. By 1927, administrators and other staff listed the official, capacity cf WVhitby Psychiatrie at 1,542 beds. Cottages' deterioration accelerated in eighties In 'the years that follô-wed, Whîtby Psychiatrie served a eatchment area that.at one time eneompassed seven counties. Throughout the decades, tens of thousands ofpatients found solace, peace, refuge and healing at Whitby Psychiatrie., And ail things considered, the buildings held up very well. By the xmd-19809, however, the writing*was on the wall. Many of the cottages were deteriorating rapidly. A few, cited asi unsafe anal beyond repair, were permanently closed and secured. Afer almost 75years of constant use, Govan's design no longer refleeted the most up-to-date attitudes in the treatinent of the seriously mentally 11l within our society. The time had- corne to build a new hospital. nu> mVU mvomr Three ta six per cent of Canadians are devekopmentaily handlcapped. Of this group, 40 per cent aiso have a pschiatitc Uness (dual diagnosis). S uro: M unisy of H saIth d tb CM HA ()OWASCO VOLKSWAGENi E princ I wscoeFeeZ g Proveno serve ySu BESTsnc192 A n 7C A R E a n dC A A a w r w n e . Sales, serývice leasing, body shop, ah# makes. GRD Reniais in Canada, USA and Europe, overseas delivery. Audi 1425 Dundas St. East, Whitby mOWASCQ L686-6410 Ç~5~ITOP DOLLAR FOR RV VOUR TRAD.E! MjDONAS7ER 9m53St0.0Ohw M - i i m a in ý1919