A Historical Investigation of the Establishment and Evolution of Tehran’s Insane Asylum (Dar al-Majanin) during the Qajar and Pahlavi Eras

Malekzadeh, Elham; Alizadeh Birjandi, Zahra

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Malekzadeh E, Alizadeh Birjandi Z. A Historical Investigation of the Establishment and Evolution of Tehran’s Insane Asylum (Dar al-Majanin) during the Qajar and Pahlavi Eras. IJMEHM 2024; 17 : 20
URL: http://ijme.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6778-en.html

A Historical Investigation of the Establishment and Evolution of Tehran’s Insane Asylum (Dar al-Majanin) during the Qajar and Pahlavi Eras

Elham Malekzadeh ^*

¹, Zahra Alizadeh Birjandi²

1- PhD in Islamic history, Associate Professor, Institute of History, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
2- PhD in Islamic history, Associate Professor of History at the University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

Abstract: (198 Views)

This study examined the history of the establishment and evolution of Tehran’s insane asylum during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods. The significance of this study in medical history lies in its exploration of the founding of one of Iran’s earliest medical institutions and the factors that influenced its subsequent transformations. Given its focus on the development of insane asylum (Dar al-Majanin) and the public’s appeals for its improvement, this study offers valuable insights into the social history of the period. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on unpublished archival documents, this study presented a narrative of the history of madness that shed light on the untold stories of the mentally ill (Majanin) and prevailing societal beliefs about them. These beliefs profoundly influenced the treatment of patients within these institutions. The findings revealed that while the care provided to the mentally ill improved during this period, ongoing challenges persisted due to limited resources and a growing patient population. The prevailing attitude of officials toward the mentally ill was primarily one of containment, aimed at protecting the public from perceived threats.

Article number: 20

Keywords: Dar al-Majanin, Psychiatry, Madness, Insane asylum, Medical history

Full-Text [PDF 553 kb] (60 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: History of Medicine
Received: 2024/08/25 | Accepted: 2025/01/8 | Published: 2024/03/20