Asklepion Bergama, Turkey The world’s first psychiatric hospital the Asklepion in Bergama, Turkey has left behind a legacy making it still one of world history’s most infamous medical centers. It was founded by a man named Archais in fourth century B.C. He named the center after the Greek god of healing and the Asklepion definitely lived up to the legacy of the God’s name. Their symbol that can be found at the site to this day is two snakes facing each other over a wheel. This held deep meaning as the snakes shedding their skin was meant to represent the way that the patients who came through the center would be able to shed their illnesses and restart their health like the snakes do with their skin. Being the first psychiatric hospital, they created many practices and healing techniques for their patients that were nuanced for the time. Since this was the first medical center that offered these services people from all over were drawn to come and try the services offered. Some of these included: herbal remedies, the interpretation of dreams, mud and bathing treatments, the drinking of water from fountains that were in the center, and forms of psychotherapies. The sites are still spiritual and sacred to this day because of these practices and healing that had occurred here. Specifically, the fountains and water found there. The medicine and medical practices that took place here was inspired by a greater city called Ephesus where these ideas were born. The history of Ephesus in Turkey and the Roman period as a whole gave so much to this period of medical discovery and just like Asklepion, which was heavily influenced by the practices of Ephesus, remains an infamous part of psychiatric history. Like previously described the way that mental health began to be approached when it was something that had not really begun to be explored in a serious way in medical fields lead way to foundation of modern psychiatry. These doctors that that practiced in Ephesus and the Asklepion also helped to shape the construction of disorders and mental illnesses we recognize today. While some of the practices may seem to be a little outside the box from a modern perspective, others were what helped to create the techniques we see used today with patients coming through our systems. Written by Chaela McAdams