Letchworth State Village
Construction was already well underway at Letchworth by the end of 1911. The 2,362-acre plot of land was to be home to the new state institution for segregation of the epileptic and feeble-minded. The institution was named after William Pryor Letchworth, who was a leader in reform for the treatment of feeble-minded and epileptic individuals. The complex was unlike other New York "high-rise" asylums of the time and housed over 130 buildings. Each building consisted of separate living facilities, training facilities, recreational facilities, hospital facilities, and more. The two-story cottages would house about 70 patients total. Patients worked the on-campus farm and harvested enough produce to feed the entire patient population at Letchworth.
In the year 1950, Hilary Kroprowski tested the polio vaccine on a patient at Letchworth. This was the first trial case of the vaccine in the entire United States. After testing the vaccine on an 8-year-old patient, no complications arose. He then administered 19 more vaccination tests. Out of a total of 20 tests, 17 developed the antibodies needed to fight the virus and nobody had any complications. The issue of morality that arose from this was the fact that these patients did not have the mental capacity to consent to testing.
The downfall of Letchworth rooted back to the 1920's. Although, many of these reports and allegations did not come to light until right before or after the institutions closing. A study into annual report books of the 1920's showed that most of the population at Letchworth was between the ages of 5 and 16. Patients were classified into three groups, "moron, imbecile, and idiot". This was considered proper terminology back then. Overpopulation quickly became an issue. Malnutrition, neglect, and abuse were soon to follow as side effects of overcrowding. Reporter Irving Haberman released a set of photographs in the 1940s showing dirty living spaces, unclothed residents crammed into communal living spaces, and residents looking ill from neglect. Letchworth eventually closed in 1996 after operating for many years of being inadequately funded and poorly managed.
Read MoreIn the year 1950, Hilary Kroprowski tested the polio vaccine on a patient at Letchworth. This was the first trial case of the vaccine in the entire United States. After testing the vaccine on an 8-year-old patient, no complications arose. He then administered 19 more vaccination tests. Out of a total of 20 tests, 17 developed the antibodies needed to fight the virus and nobody had any complications. The issue of morality that arose from this was the fact that these patients did not have the mental capacity to consent to testing.
The downfall of Letchworth rooted back to the 1920's. Although, many of these reports and allegations did not come to light until right before or after the institutions closing. A study into annual report books of the 1920's showed that most of the population at Letchworth was between the ages of 5 and 16. Patients were classified into three groups, "moron, imbecile, and idiot". This was considered proper terminology back then. Overpopulation quickly became an issue. Malnutrition, neglect, and abuse were soon to follow as side effects of overcrowding. Reporter Irving Haberman released a set of photographs in the 1940s showing dirty living spaces, unclothed residents crammed into communal living spaces, and residents looking ill from neglect. Letchworth eventually closed in 1996 after operating for many years of being inadequately funded and poorly managed.
