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Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta - Psychiatry Museum
Apart from its rich 108 year history, the hospital also has its own psychiatry museum which houses a range of medical apparatuses which illustrates the types of treatment used prior to modern day psychiatric treatment. These include the Deep Insulin Therapy (1946), Electro-convulsive therapy (1947) and Aversion therapy. The museum also includes a wide variety of items ranging from basic to more advanced medical tools. On display are wound dressing tools, different coloured hospital gowns which indicted the category of mental illness of the patients, straight-jackets, an early wheelchair, a dental chair and items used in patients’ rehabilitation activities.
One of the many items that stood out in the collection was the ‘Tell Tale Clock’ which was used to monitor staff who worked on night shifts. They were required to wind the hourly knob located on the wall in each of the ward which was then recorded by the ‘Tell Tale Clock’ placed at the Medical Superintendent’s Office. This was a measure to prevent attendants from falling asleep or leaving the ward while on duty. If caught sleeping on the job or leaving the ward while on duty, attendants would be fined up to RM5.00 or alternatively, required to cut the grass at the female ward.
The hospital’s psychiatry museum however is not open to the public. Potential visitors are required to write in to the hospital stating the reasons they would like to visit the museum. Permission to visit will depend upon approval from the hospital director.