We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is an Epileptic Colony?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 14,830
Share

An epileptic colony is a residential facility designed to accommodate the treatment needs of epileptics. Such sites were historically used to isolate epileptics and the mentally ill from the rest of society, reflecting a widespread fear of epilepsy and mental illness. Modern facilities usually do not use the term “epileptic colony,” and they may focus on inpatient and outpatient treatment for a variety of neurological conditions, not just epilepsy.

The earliest epileptic colony appears to have been established in Bielefeld, Germany, in the 1800s, at around the same time that the eugenics movement was sweeping the European community. This is not mere coincidence; eugenics is a social movement which involves selective breeding of the human race to promote desirable traits. The isolation of epileptics was undoubtedly intended to remove epilepsy from the gene pool, and when the concept was adopted in the United States, some facilities even sterilized their inmates, ensuring that they could not procreate.

Historically, epileptic colonies were painted as pleasant facilities dedicated to selfless patient care. Facilities were often divided into “curable,” “incurable,” and “violent” wards, and patients supposedly had access to first-rate medical care, physical therapy, recreation, and so forth. In point of fact, an epileptic colony was often a very grim place, designed more like a prison than a residential treatment facility, and many people in such colonies had conditions other than epilepsy which went untreated.

Epileptic colonies often boasted of “waiting lists” for patients, when in fact many patients were forced to move to the colony by family members or their medical practitioners. Some families opted to send sick relatives to an epileptic colony because they believed that the family member might improve in better medical care, while others simply dumped such relatives, not wanting to cope with their disabilities. In either case, once in an epileptic colony, getting out was usually difficult. Others thought that epileptic loved ones might feel more comfortable in the company of fellow epilepsy sufferers.

As the popularity of eugenics started to decline, so did the epileptic colony. Many such colonies closed as early as the 1920s, with others vanishing from the landscape as late as the 1950s and 1960s. As the idea of confining epileptics lost popularity, however, many facilities continued to care for mental patients, well through the 1980s, when most state-run mental hospitals were closed in the United States.

Today, epileptics and people with mental illnesses have numerous treatment options, some of which may include stays in inpatient facilities. However, the conditions of such facilities differ radically from those of historical epileptic colonies, with professional, sensitive staff who care deeply about patient welfare.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGeek researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By anon257130 — On Mar 25, 2012

Epileptic colonies were prisons for people doctors considered to be defectives and criminals. The persecution of epileptics continued until there was evidence of neurological abnormalities. The persecution of the so-called mentally ill continues apace, though there is no a shred of evidence that any "mental illness" has a biological origin.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-an-epileptic-colony.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.