The relationship between theories of care and 19th-century architectural designs

The first insane asylums appeared following a report written in 1818 by J.-É. Esquirol, a disciple of Ph. Pinel. They were designed according to the precise instructions of the alienist doctors, according to the supposed requirements of the treatment of mental illnesses. Esquirol drew the very first architectural program for the Saint-Yon de Rouen Asylum (1821). This system was quickly abandoned in favor of a configuration inspired by the Hôtel-Dieu project of J.-R. Tenon, published in 1788, and applied a first time to the asylum of Le Mans (1828). By the very symmetrical arrangement of its pavilions, the emphasis placed on the functionality of the service, the importance given to the circulation of air for reasons of hygiene, finally interior fittings of austere aspect if not prison, it offered an architectural party described by Mr. Parchappe as «French asylum system». It evolved little in form and persisted in France until the dawn of the 20th century.