The Mississippi Insane Asylum was established in Jackson in 1855 and operated in this location until 1935. During this period, a cemetery was maintained on the asylum grounds in which several thousand deceased patients were interred. This site is now occupied by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, for which mission-critical needs have raised numerous administrative, ethical, cultural and practical challenges in the long-term management of these burial sites. This presentation provides an overview of the history of the asylum and describes a proposal to memorialize those buried in the Asylum Hill Cemetery in a manner that also creates a research and education resource.
Dr. Ralph H. Didlake is associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is also a professor of surgery and director of UMMC’s Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities. Dr. Didlake’s focus is on the integration of biomedical ethics and professionalism across Mississippi clinical, educational and research efforts.
