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Between about 1850 and 1950 there was a steady increase in the number of patients staying in mental hospitals. In England and Wales, for example, there were just over 7,000 such patients in 1850, nearly 120,000 in 1930, and nearly 150,000 in 1954. Thereafter the number steadily declined, reaching just over 100,000 in 1970 and 75,000 in 1980, a decrease of almost 50 percent. The same process began in the United States in 1955 but continued at a more rapid rate. The decrease, from just under 560,000 in 1955 to just over 130,000 in 1980, was more than 75 percent. ...(100 of 23131 words)