Inventory of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital Records

Processed by The California State Archives staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xuzhi Zhou.

California State Archives

1020 "O" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Phone: (916) 653-2246

Fax: (916) 653-7363

Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Inventory of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital Records

Inventory: F3886

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Contact Information:

California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Processed by:: The California State Archives staff

Descriptive Summary

Title: Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital Records

Inventory: F3886

Creator: Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital

Extent: 191 file folders

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of records are open for research, any access restrictions will be noted in the records series description.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital Records, F3886:[Folder Number], California State Archives.

Agency History

Modesto State Hospital, formerly Hammond Army Hospital, was purchased from the federal government in November 1946. Under Statutes 1946, Ch. 129, Modesto State Hospital was to function as a temporary state mental institution to relieve overcrowding in established facilities. The hospital began receiving patients in late 1947. By law no commitments could be made to Modesto State Hospital; it was required to receive patients from other state mental institutions through transfers. The hospital was equipped from its beginning to accept both the mentally ill and the mentally deficient. In September 1951, Modesto became a permanent hospital and was eligible to receive direct admissions ( Statutes 1951, Ch. 525). By 1963, the hospital was reorganized to receive only the mentally ill. In that same year, Modesto's population exceeded its rated capacity of 2,369. After 1963, population declined until the facility was closed in 1972.

Scope and Content Note

The records of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital consist of 191 file folders spanning the period 1900-1972. The records are organized into one series: Patient Case Files.

The Patient Case Files provide medical history and biographical information about patients housed at Modesto State Hospital. Files typically contain various types of reports, notes, death and discharge certificates, and occasionally significant correspondence. Files have been heavily sampled and reflect only a small percentage of total patients. Files ending in zero and fat files have been retained. Fat files are large because either the patient was institutionalized over a long period or was admitted repeatedly for a specific illness, frequently alcoholism.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Mental health

California. Dept. of Mental Hygiene

Mental illness--Treatment

F3886:609-799

1. Patient Case Files. 1900-1972

Physical Description: 191 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by patient surname.

Access Information

Records in this series are restricted for 75 years from the date of last activity under California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5328 because they contain confidential patient information.

Scope and Content Note

Case files are the primary source of information on care and treatment of individuals at hospital. With each case, the records are organized in reverse chronological order, i.e., the most recent records appearing first. Common records for each file include commitment papers and related court documents, patient background information, nurses' admission reports, photographs, clinical conference reports, progress notes, social service reports, ward notes, hydrotherapy reports, electric shock treatment reports, intelligence tests reports, release summaries, death certificates, cumulative case summaries, discharge certificates, and correspondence. Little correspondence has been retained unless it was especially noteworthy or written by the patient. For access, see the reference archivist.