Callan Park Hospital for the Insane Becomes a Teaching Hospital in 1885
From Faculty of Medicine Online Museum and Archive
As early as 1878, plans were being made to accommodate the university’s medical school students in Psychological Medicine at the Callan Park Asylum.[1] Designed by colonial architect James Barnet in consultation with the then Director of Mental Health Dr Frederick Norton Manning, Callan Park Hospital was designed so that male and female patients were separated, joined by a central block which contained medical consulting rooms, a library, and a pathology museum. High ceilings, wide verandahs, large windows, and long covered walkways were included to suit Australian conditions.[1] It also housed rooms for the accommodation of students in Psychological Medicine, an area which was always intended to form part of the professional course of instruction when the medical school became established. The compulsory inclusion of Psychological Medicine in the curriculum was based on the Edinburgh model that the Faculty had adopted. When Callan Park Hospital opened in 1885, the Faculty stipulated that fifth year medical students serve for three months at a public asylum, and Callan Park became a primary place for experience and instruction. From 1886 to 1888 Dr Frederick Manning was the principal teacher in Psychological Medicine.[1] He was considered a humanitarian and was concerned always that his patients be provided with medical attention for their illnesses instead of being confined in a "cemetery for deceased intellects."[1] One of the early graduates, Dr Arthur Geddes Henry (MB ChM 1888) took a particular interest in institutional medicine and became Medical Officer at Callan Park Asylum, later also Parramatta, Rookwood and Newington.
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