VPRS 18133 Case Books: Male Patients (Royal Park Receiving House)

This series consists of Case Books of male patients admitted to Royal Park Receiving House (VA 2845). It appears that from 1915 the series exclusively records details of military patients admitted to the receiving house.Royal Park was the only Receiving House in Victoria when it opened in 1907. Receiving Houses were used to provide accommodation for those patients who required only short term diagnosis and treatment. No person was to be detained in a receiving house for more than two months.Each patient admitted was required by legislation to have a record created to document their case history from time of admission to time of discharge.Each entry is assigned two pages. Page 1 was used to enter all required information, and page 2 was used to enter case notes, most often in the form of updates on the patient's condition. The last entry would often detail a transfer to another hospital, or another reason for discharge.The common information recorded includes:Date of AdmissionFull NameForm of InsanityBy Whom BroughtPrevious residenceAge and GenderMarital StatusOccupationReligionDetails of AttackState of Bodily HealthFacts Indicating Insanity Before Admission (basically, the opinion of the committing medical practitioner)Physical Condition on AdmissionMental Condition on AdmissionSome entries contain accompanying papers (either loose or pinned), such as:Discharge or Leave Slip signed by the Medical SuperintendentCorrespondence to / from the patientRequest for Reception of PatientPolice ReportsIn the fourth register, the sequence of admissions to the Receiving House begins in February 1912 and ceases in June 1912. It then recommences at 12 October 1915 as the Military Ward, thereafter being used exclusively for the treatment of returned soldiers.The same information is recorded here as was in the earlier registers; however, there is a greater volume of loose and pinned documentation present, particularly official military correspondence. Photographs of these patients are also more numerous. This sequence ends in 1917.A register has not been found for the missing time period in this sequence, being February 1911 to February 1912.Controlling Series: VPRS 7423 - Nominal Register of Patients (Royal Park Receiving House)