L’evoluzione della struttura documentale nelle cartelle cliniche psichiatriche dell’archivio storico del manicomio di Girifalco (1881-1978)

In the 19th and 20th centuries significant methodological and scientific changes transformed the psychiatric field. In this context, medical records represent a primary documentary source, as their structure reflects the changes in scientific, cultural, and social approaches over the decades. This study focused on the analysis of medical records from the historical archive of the former psychiatric hospital of Girifalco (CZ, Italy), which includes approximately 15,800 medical records. Through five-year interval sampling 2,290 medical records were analyzed. Results show that structural and content-related changes in medical records were gradual transformations while, in some cases, different versions of the same type of document coexisted for years. The research highlights how these documents transcend the mere function of recording clinical data, serving instead as historical testimonies of the various ways mental illnesses were understood and