The purpose of this essay was to investigate and compare the treatment of patients at Vilhelmsro’s hospital for children with epilepsy in Jönköping, Sweden, to the treatment of mentally deficient patients in Sweden during the 19th and 20th century. To fulfill the purpose of this investigation the administrative and medicinal archive at Jönköping’s county hospital Ryhov, and the provincial archives in Vadstena were used. The basis and the results of the investigation were drawn from studying and analyzing patient records, seizure books and enrollment charts of discharged patients, dated from 1928 to 1939. The investigation shows that although the treatment of patients at Vilhelmsro share a lot of fundamental values with the treatment of mentally deficient patients at mental institutions around Sweden at that time, such as correctness of behavior in order to fit into the norms of society, the hospital’s main concern was to educate and care for the children with epilepsy in hopes of adapting into society. This was not always possible, and the care at Vilhelmsro mainly had three outcomes which consisted of either being discharged due to recovery from illness, being discharged into the care of a more severe care facility or death from severe seizures. The hospital did concern itself with making sure that the children were molded into fitting into society’s interests and behavior and unfortunately this might have taken away from the actual medical care.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the philanthropist Ebba Ramsay portrayed children with epilepsy in her writings during her time active at Wilhelmsro, an institution for children with epilepsy outside Jönköping, Sweden, from 1877 to 1915. The study is based on an analysis of 23 writings by Ramsay, where the main focus includes Ramsay's representations of the children and what insights these can provide about society's view of epilepsy and its impact on the affected children and society at this time. Bill Hughes' categorization of the basic aversive feelings on disability is used to categorize Ramsay's view of the epileptic children. The results show that Ramsay portrayed the children with a mixture of fear, pity, and disgust, often portraying epilepsy as a tragic and heavy burden for both individuals and their families. She also describes a society that is often unsympathetic and exclusionary towards these children. These representations are used to evoke compassion and support for better care and education for children with epilepsy. The final discussion highlights the relevance of Ramsay's work to the teaching of history at secondary school level, where her texts can be used to discuss how historical perspectives on illness and disability can relate to contemporary views and policies. Suggestions for future research include comparisons of Ramsay's work with other similar institutions internationally, as well as deeper studies of the gender aspects that may have influenced her work.