Uruguay - 2012 - Centenary of Mental Hospital "Colonia Etchepare"
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SERIE --- 1,40 EUR
SERIE [2X2] --- 5,50 EUR
BLOCK --- 12,00 EUR
FDC not Sent --- 2,80 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day --- 9,00 EUR
COVER Sent on First Day --- 6,00 EUR
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Issue information:
Country: Uruguay
Date: December 4th, 2012
Printed: 15.003 copies
Stamp Shape and Size: Rectangular [32 mm. x 47 mm.]
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated
Block Configuration: 9 stamps [3 x 3]
Block Shape and Size: Rectangular [125 mm. x 185 mm.]
FDC Type: Normal
FDC Shape and Size: Rectangular [165 mm. x 105 mm.]
Cover Shape and Size: Rectangular [241 mm. x 159 mm.]
Catalogue information:
Michel: No Data Available
Ivert: No Data Available
Scott: No Data Available
Stanley & Gibbons: No Data Available
Topics:
Issue:
This stamp commemorates the Centenary of the Mental Hospital "Dr. Bernardo Etchepare", commonly known as: "Colonia Etchepare", that was the second Mental Hospital built in Uruguay, after the National Mental Hospital, later called "Hospital Vilardebó", and it is located 70 km far from the Capital of Uruguay Montevideo, near the city of Santa Lucía in the department of Canelones.
The stamp was released in the same month of its foundation, that took place in December of 1912, in the presidence of José Batlle y Ordoñez, as an emergency measure for the overpopulation of National Mental Hospital that was made for 700 patients and it was hosting 1500 at the decade of 1910.
Jointly with the "Hospital Vilardebó" they reach a population of 5.000 patients in 1950 decade, giving Uruguay a rate of 18 patients by 10.000 habitants, one of the most high rates in the world. Hopefully, later, better strategies and projects for the treatment of mental illness, had lowered that rate to more acceptable ones.
The desing of the stamp shows a wonderful painting made by a hospital internship, the artist Oscar Caballero. The painting is called "Esquizofrenia", that is the spanish word for the mental illness "schizophrenia", and in a poetic way, the painting express what happen inside someone suffering that disease.
The Mental Hospital "Dr. Bernardo Etchepare", founded on December of 1912, due to the overpopulation of the National Mental Hospital, received around 350 new patients by year, and had a low rate of outflows, so it quicly get as overcrowed as the National Mental Hospital it pretend to save, and it conception of a peaceful colony in which more of the patient get rehabilitated soon get lost and it became an asylum.
The main cause of this big annual rate of new patients was that not all of them was referred to this institution because of psychiatric disorders, on the opposite, there were many people that get inside by lack of economic or social resources, and also conducted by police for tramp.
In the beginning, following the country's population composition, the colony housed equally Uruguayan and foreigners of different nationalities. The immigration flows from, the two World Wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Spanish Civil War were reflected in the nationality of patients admitted. It must have had no minor relevance the uprooting, the cultural and linguistic diversity, and other psychosocial complications due of those strong conditions of exodus.
In 1984 the "Sociedad de Psiquiatría del Uruguay", in english "Psychiatry Society of Uruguay" drafted the transcendent document "Situación de la Asistencia Psiquiátrica y Propuesta de Cambio", in english "Psychiatric Care Situation and Proposal for Change", which was a cornerstone concept in formulating the "Programa Nacional de Salud Mental", in english "National Mental Health Programme" in 1986. In the analysis based on the Colonia Etchepare, it notes that the instituition housed 2,400 patients (1,300 of them in nearby Cologne "Santin Carlos Rossi"). The technical relationship by patient is a psychiatrist in 100 patients, one nurse every 153 patients, whereas a clerk reported every 21 patients and a staff of maintenance and monitoring every 11 patients. The technical assistance available time is 6 minutes psychiatrist, three minutes of nurse, and psychologist 4.8 minutes per week per patient. The average stay is in 520 days. Only 150 patients attend rehabilitation workshops, that is 6.25% of the institutionalized population. And finally, in relation to the Colony, the paper concluded: "Over 78% of psychiatric beds in the country, its high rate of chronicity, high operating costs and low technical relationship / patient, the "Colonia Etchepare" is merely a custodial asylum".
From the administration of government installed in 2005, it was strengthened the efforts to enhance habitat quality and dignity of patients in the Psychiatric Care Colognes. And this work gives great results, with many patients that get rehabilitated. The Management Report of 2011 tells that 830 people (431 in "Dr. Bernardo Etchepare" and 399 in "Dr. Santin Carlos Rossi") housed in the "Colonia Etchepare" of Psychiatric Care. This shows a sustained progressive reduction on mental asylum, that leaves the country with this remnant which corresponds to a rate 2.5 patients per 10,000 inhabitants, way lower from 18 / 10.000 one of the 1950s.
Dr. Bernardo Etchepare born in 1869 and passed away in 1925.
He graduated a medical surgeon in Paris in 1894. Back to Uruguay was appointed professor of anatomy, position he held until 1905, and also served as surgeon for 10 years, after that he devoted entirely to psychiatry.
He was Service Chief at Vilardebó Hospital, and Professor of Psychiatry at the University since 1908 to the end of his days. It was also a founding member of the "Society of Psychiatry, Uruguay", he installed the first non-state psychiatric hospital in Uruguay, and wrote numerous scientific papers on mental illness.
It is interesting to know that he had a biologist and organismic vision of mental illness, he rejected the lines of thought of first Freud and then Jung, and among any other things, he not accepted the theory of schizophrenia, which is the topic selected for this stamp to depict the Mental Hospital that now bears his name.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by a deficit of typical emotional responses. Common symptoms include auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with a global lifetime prevalence of about 0.3–0.7%. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the patient's reported experiences.
Genetics, early environment, neurobiology, and psychological and social processes appear to be important contributory factors; some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms. Current research is focused on the role of neurobiology, although no single isolated organic cause has been found. The many possible combinations of symptoms have triggered debate about whether the diagnosis represents a single disorder or a number of discrete syndromes. Despite the etymology of the term from the Greek roots skhizein (σχίζειν, "to split") and phrēn, phren- (φρήν, φρεν-; "mind"), schizophrenia does not imply a "split personality", or "multiple personality disorder" (which is known these days as dissociative identity disorder)—a condition with which it is often confused in public perception. Rather, the term means a "splitting of mental functions", because of the symptomatic presentation of the illness.
The mainstay of treatment is antipsychotic medication, which primarily suppresses dopamine (and sometimes serotonin) receptor activity. Psychotherapy and vocational and social rehabilitation are also important in treatment. In more serious cases—where there is risk to self and others—involuntary hospitalization may be necessary, although hospital stays are now shorter and less frequent than they once were.
The disorder is thought mainly to affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People with schizophrenia are likely to have additional (comorbid) conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders; the lifetime occurrence of substance use disorder is almost 50%. Social problems, such as long-term unemployment, poverty, and homelessness are common. The average life expectancy of people with the disorder is 12 to 15 years less than those without, as the result of increased physical health problems and a higher suicide rate (about 5%).
Oscar caballero was born in Minas, a city in the departmen of "Lavalleja" in Uruguay, in the year 1936, and is an internship of Colonia Etchepare since a few years ago.
This are his words: "I made many drawings of madness and put them in a box that said do not touch. It was a fight between me and the table, brushes, everything. The three heads were saying different things, one dozing, as thinking. Another stunned, looking at the stars. The first is as a clown who looks ahead and laugh at life. I have laughter as the main thing of all, I felt with the body healthy, strong lungs, I always felt happy. Happiness lies in laughter, you have to laugh. My grandmother heard me laugh and tell me about also with words people get cured. I paint with great joy and with much criticism, I'm painting and I am criticizing. I am retailer".
The painting of Oscar Caballero shown in the stamp, "esquizofrenia", is a large one, it measures are: 0,68 mts x 1,24 mts, and it was made with oleo over wood.
The work shows the mental split in schizophrenics, with these four faces that cames from one head, each shown different mood states, namely: happyness, sadness, fear, and annoyance. Then, behind the main four faces head, there is an interesting tiny image of what seems to be a tree in a sunrise, thats brings a warm breeze of peace and hope after the shock produced by the disturbin foreground image.
Block:
The block is only decorated with four faces, or perhaps more precisely masks icons to show the inks used in printing, and the legend of the centenary of "Colonia Etchepare" Mental Hospital, "Centenario de la Colonia Etchepare"
FDC:
The desing of the First Day Cancelation, shows a fragment of the work of another internship of the "Colonia Etchepare", named "Raúl Cabrera", although it sign his works as "Raúl Javiel Cabrera", and was commonly known as "Cabrerita".
The work shown is a double work, two works in the same cardboard, the main one called "Rostro Masculino", and the other one "Rostros", translated in english "Male face" and "Faces" respectively.
Raul Cabrera or Cabrerita, was born at December 2nd, 1919, in Montevideo, Uruguayan Capital, and passed away at December 18th, 1992, in the City of Santa Lucia, at the department of Canelones.
Cabrerita spends the early years of his childhood, after being abandoned by his family since birth in the asylum "Damaso A. Larrañaga" and he attends school at "José Pedro Varela" school upto 5th grade.
From early age he manifest their artistic qualities and very young he began to work painting stained glass. Then, he Attends the "Círculo de Bellas Artes de Montevideo", an Academy of Fine Arts, and he aslo studies at "Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (UTU)" a Labour University, directed by painter Guillermo Laborde. He Studies with Gilberto Bellini, then with Pablo Serrano at the "Taller Don Bosco", and also with Carlos Prevosti.
His work in art is permanent and constant despite that his life is full of admissions in psychiatric hospitals or residences in friends house that temporary take charge of him, mainly in Lucy house, sister of the poet José Parrilla, who was his friend and protector.
When Lucy is evicted, settles with Vilardebó Hospital Director, Dr. Caceres, a human being of great culture and sensitivity, to stay at the center as a way to alleviate the situation of homelessness. But when Dr. Caceres leaves Vilardebó address, the new director decides Cabrerita moving to Colonia Etchepare, where he lived nearly 30 years in rather inhuman condition.
Cabrerita was one of the legendary characters of Montevideo, as he usually take part of the gatherings at the Café Sorocabana with memorable personalities as Idea Vilariño, Humberto Megget, Felisberto Hernandez, Carlos Maggi, José Luis "Tola" Invernizzi, among others.
His paintings show strange girls with staring eyes, long faces, eyes averted, with her hands folded, motionless, and covering her sex.
He Participate in solo exhibitions at the YMCA of Montevideo, in the Ateneo and at the XVI Biennial of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1981. and it was awarded at the Municipal Hall, 1944 V, VII Municipal Hall 1946 National Painting X 1946.
In his last years was a neighbor of the city of Saint Lucia, giving his drawings for lack of money to change snuff, or a glass of milk. Before dying he resides with a family in that city.
If you consider that there are another topics in this stamp, that were not spot in this review, you are encouraged to telling me about them, so please do not hesitate to post a comment. I would appreciate your help very much.
