Essondale patient file for Chozo Takahashi

From this file, LOI has digitized one textual record or image.

Chozo Takahashi was admitted to Essondale from the Vancouver General Hospital on 30 April 1942. His mental health diagnosis was arteriosclerotic dementia. On 12 May 1942 he was discharged on probation.  He died at Essondale on 12 May 1943, at the age of 54. He was born in Japan, but had lived in Canada for 26 years. Before 1942 he had resided in Vancouver for 5 years with his wife Fugu and 7 children. Ward notes indicate that, “his relatives have been extremely anxious to secure the patient’s discharge, but were referred to the B.C. Securities Commission. Today the R.C.M.P. communicated with us and after learning patient’s condition, they arranged to come out and take patient back to the Immigration Sheds, where arrangements will be made to intern him.” The Social Service Exchange form lists his address as ‘Immigration Bldg’, with previous address listed as 25 West 5th Street. His history indicates that “Patient has been like this before, they have looked after him at home. They wish to do so at this time, but the B.C. Security Commission, having sent the patient to the hospital from the Immigration Building, will not allow him to be returned to his home.” Medical superintendent E.J. Ryan wrote to the R.C.M.P., on 12 May 1942, stating that, “if it were possible for him to be with a member of his own family, it is considered that he will get along satisfactorily.” File includes receipts and a letter indicating that Takahashi’s hospital account was paid in full by the B.C.S.C.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services created this archive which were transferred to the BC Archives from 1987 to 2000.

The digital copies of the records were acquired by the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective between 2014 and 2018.

This record was digitized selectively.