Legitimierung behördlicher Praxis? Analyse einer stationären kinderpsychiatrischen Begutachtung in Zürich 1944

Need an expert opinion? Thoughts on the genesis of child psychiatric expertise. From the 1920s, children in Switzerland were psychiatrically exam ined in observation wards. In many cases, these medical reports were linked to the placement of children in homes and foster families. Focusing on a spe cific case study of the observation institution Stephansburg in Zurich in 1944, this paper retraces the genesis of a child psychiatric report, identifying pat terns by which the experts dealt with narratives of teachers, parents or school doctors. At a closer look, tests and medical examinations were not necessar ily committed to a strictly scientific approach. The case study analysed in this paper indicates that experts in child psychiatry did not always apply expert knowledge when preparing their opinion. Rather, they resorted to a selection of aspects alien to psychiatry but suitable to satisfy the interests of the con tracting authority.