"Unusual Demands of this Unusual Time": Logansport State Hospital and World War I

Abstract

The Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane (also known as Longcliff Hospital or Logansport State Hospital) struggled with a number of challenges common to state institutions, including a lack of funding, staff shortages, and stretched capacity. These problems worsened during World War I and the years immediately following, hindering the hospital’s ability to care for its patients. In response to these challenges, the hospital administration was forced to adapt in order to conserve resources. Using state and hospital records, this thesis examines the changes experienced by the hospital between 1910 and 1920 and demonstrates how external events such as a war had a greater impact on the care of vulnerable residents than did the internal dynamics of the facility or the motivations of its leadership.