bedlam

bedlam
/bed"leuhm/, n.
1. a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
2. Archaic. an insane asylum or madhouse.
[a popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, which served as a lunatic asylum from ca. 1400; cf. ME Bedleem, Bethleem, OE Betleem BETHLEHEM]
Syn. 1. disorder, tumult, chaos, clamor, turmoil, commotion, pandemonium.

* * *

byname of  Bethlem Royal Hospital  

      the first asylum for the mentally ill in England. It is currently located in Beckenham, Kent. The word bedlam came to be used generically for all psychiatric hospitals and sometimes is used colloquially for an uproar.

      In 1247 the asylum was founded at Bishopsgate, just outside the London wall, by Simon FitzMary, former sheriff of London; it was then known as the Priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem (from which sprang the variant spellings Bedlam and Bethlem). Bedlam was mentioned as a hospital in 1329, and some permanent patients were accommodated there by 1403. In 1547 it was granted by Henry VIII to the City of London (London, City of) as a hospital for the mentally ill. It subsequently became infamous for the brutal ill treatment meted out to its patients. In the 17th and 18th centuries Bedlam was open to fee-paying spectators, but this disruptive practice was ended in 1770. The hospital was moved in 1675–76 to Moorfields (just north of the ancient London wall at Moorgate), in 1815 to St. George's Fields (now in Southwark), and in 1930 to Monks Orchard, Beckenham. Now a part of the National Health Service, it is linked administratively with the Maudsley Hospital. Since 1936 the old hospital building in Southwark has been the site of the Imperial War Museum.

Additional Reading
Jonathan Andrews et al., The History of Bethlem (1997), explores the history of the hospital and of medical practice from 1247 to the present. Patricia Allderidge, Bethlem Hospital, 1247–1997: A Pictorial Record (1997), was written to accompany a museum exhibition.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bedlam — is the former name of Bethlem Royal Hospital, one of the first psychiatric hospitals in Western Europe.Bedlam may also refer to:*Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England *Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet near Bitterley in Shropshire,… …   Wikipedia

  • Bedlam — • A London hospital originally intended for the poor suffering from any ailment and for such as might have no other lodging, hence its name, Bethlehem, in Hebrew, the house of bread. Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Bedlam     Be …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Bedlam — Bed lam, a. Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. The bedlam, brainsick duchess. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bedlam — Bed lam, n. [See {Bethlehem}.] 1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson. [1913 Webster] 2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Let s get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bedlam — bezeichnet ein englisches Synonym für Chaos oder Wahnsinn, abgeleitet von dem Namen der Londoner psychiatrischen Klinik Bethlem Royal Hospital einen Horrorfilm aus dem Jahre 1946 mit Boris Karloff, siehe Bedlam (Film) ein kurzlebiges Bandprojekt… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bedlam —    Drame de Mark Robson, avec Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Ian Wolf.   Pays: États Unis   Date de sortie: 1947   Technique: noir et blanc   Durée: 1 h 20    Résumé    Au XVIIIe siècle, une demi mondaine réussit à briser la tyrannie scandaleuse du… …   Dictionnaire mondial des Films

  • bedlam — [bed′ləm] n. [ME Bedlam, Bethlem, var. of BETHLEHEM] 1. [B ] an old insane asylum (in full, St. Mary of Bethlehem), later a hospital for the mentally ill, in London 2. Archaic any insane asylum 3. any place or condition of noise and confusion …   English World dictionary

  • Bedlam — (Bedlem), 1) Irrenhaus in London daher 2) überhaupt Tollhaus …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Bedlam — (spr. béddläm, korrumpiert aus Bethlehem), Name des berühmten Irrenhauses in London (St. George s Fields), das 1547 aus einer Propstei »Unsers Herrn von Bethlehem« (1246 gegründet) entstand, die von Heinrich VIII. bei Aufhebung det Klöster der… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bedlam — (spr. béddlämm, aus »Bethlehem«), Irrenhaus in London; Bedlamit, Tollhäusler …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bedlam — (spr. Beddlämm) oder Bethlehem Hospital, ein großes Irrenhaus in London, daher Bedlamit soviel als Wahnsinniger …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”