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The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is the eponymous hospital in Emilie Autumn's novel.

History[]

It is unknown when the Asylum was built and by whom. Its dilapidated brickwork and lack of a proper foundation makes Emily remark that it is doubtful if the building was intended for use as a medical facility, and certainly not by a sizable population such as the one it currently homes.

Operation[]

In spite of this, the medical and general staff alike administer treatments that are cruel, outdated and objectionable even by the standards of 1845. To raise funds, the annual Ophelia Gallery, an exhibition of Asylum inmates takes place in the spring. Later, the surgeons also start a brothel where rich patrons can indulge their sick fancies, often at the expense of the inmate's life.

The Asylum is stated to be dirty, drafty and humid, inhabited by rats and plagued with pests. The meals all consist of an often rancid pottage composed of scraps, and the inmates are bathed in cold water and made to wear only stockings and slips, and no shoes. Infractions of any kind are punished with confinement for weeks on end. Inhumane treatment is common in both wards, but generally inmates of Ward A fare better than Ward B. Deceased inmates have organs and body parts harvested before being taken away by the Death Cart and disposed of in the Death Pits.

Layout[]

Places of interest on the Asylum grounds.

  • The parlour, to deceive the families and loved ones leaving a woman into their care
  • The Bathing Court
  • The Walking Yard
  • Ward A - the general population ward
  • Ward B - where the research subjects and patients recovering from surgery are kept
  • An operating theater
  • The Bloodletting Wing
  • Solitary confinement cells
  • Dr. Stockill's office
  • Madame Mournington's private quarters
  • The kitchen
  • The dining hall
  • The front yard where the Ophelia Gallery opens its tents every spring
  • The furnace room
  • Death Pits

Fate[]

On New Year's Eve following the Tea Party Massacre, the furnace malfunctions and the Asylum's foundation caves in, causing the building to collapse, killing all the now free inmates.

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