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Abstract

The author describes the beginning and the development of accommodation and care of psychiatric patients in the canton of Graubunden, Switzerland, in the 19th century. There were several precursors of lunatic asyla, repeated counts of the insane people and various projects of psychiatric hospitals who were rejected in case of a financial shortage. Connected with a considerable gift and a lot of donations for the funds of the canton and the charity for poor mentally ill people, the psychiatric hospital Waldhaus was opened in Chur (capital of the canton of Graubunden) in 1892. Additional remarks are made in the 20th century concerning the extension of the hospital capacity and the foundation of the second psychiatric care unit in Realta in 1919, and further to early psychiatric treatments and some case reports. The cantonal statistics of the insane people are analyzed and compared. The most important personalities regarding the matter of lunatics are portrayed shortly. The appendix contains the most interesting historical documents in orginal version.