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Duplessis Orphans: Medical experimentation

During the reign of Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis in the 1940s and 1950s, an alarming number of healthy children living in sanctuaries were hastily diagnosed as mentally incompetent, psychotic patients. The diagnoses were always swift — the children went to bed orphans and woke up psychiatric patients. The reason? Shrewd fiscal planning; federal subsidies paid out more to hospitals than to orphanages. Some children allegedly endured lobotomies, electroshock, straitjackets and abuse. For the rest of their lives they would struggle to bring attention to their story and demand compensation. They called themselves the Duplessis Orphans.


Medium: Television
Program: The National
Broadcast Date: June 18, 2004
Guest(s): Daniel Lighter, Paul St. Aucoin, Rod Vienneau
Reporter: Lynne Robson
Duration: 2:35

Last updated: March 23, 2012

Page consulted on August 21, 2012

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