Long Island Farm Colony
Kings Park State Hospital
The Beds of Building 93; Thorazine
March 19, 2022
When Building 93 was completely vacated in 1996, only 1/3 of the massive 13 floor structure was in use. Like many large psychiatric hospitals, the advent of psychotropic drugs returned many patients back to their homes. It was Chlorpromazine, or Thorazine, that was the first to offer mentally ill patients relief from their afflictions, helping to deem the enormous state-run asylums unnecessary.
First synthesized in the 1950’s, Chlorpromazine was not originally meant to be an antipsychotic. When the French drug maker Rhône-Poulenc was developing antihistamines for all types of conditions, an early form of Chlorpromazine was tested on laboratory rats. It had an anaesthetic effect on the rats’ central nervous systems. They were calm, but not sedated. This effect was then tested in agitated psychiatric inpatients to much success, blazing a trail for all antipsychotic drugs and bringing the dawn of a new treatment era. (source)
The beds of Building 93 are collected on ground level.
Patient clothing seemed to be left behind as remaining patients were all transported to Pilgrim State in 1996.
A little lady’s night gown
A torn bra
Patsy sings, “Crazy…”
Remnants of Christmas
A quick opportunistic stop, and we were out.
