The Sanatorium(115)

That tiny space between happiness and fear.



ARTICLE: LOCAL.CH (AUGUST 2020)

HUMAN GRAVES FOUND AT CONVERTED SWISS SANATORIUM



Human graves have been discovered by specialist Swiss police units at Le Sommet, a luxury Swiss hotel recently converted from a tuberculosis sanatorium.





The graves were discovered by police during an investigation into three murders carried out in January at the hotel.





Archived records show at least 32 women from Germany were sent to the Sanatorium du Plumachit, ostensibly to recover from tuberculosis.





Other regions and European countries are now examining records amid fears that this could be the start of a flood of investigations.





Swiss police have found 32 human graves near the hotel Le Sommet in the Swiss resort of CransMontana, where it is alleged that women were illegally interned and both physically and mentally abused in the late 1920s and 1930s.

Anomalies consistent with potential graves were uncovered at the site, formerly known as the Sanatorium du Plumachit, where patients were housed for the treatment of tuberculosis.

The Valais Police Judiciaire made the discovery while investigating the sequence of recent murders at the hotel, reports Le Matin.

One of the suspects revealed that the motive for the murders lay in the hotel’s past as a sanatorium, leading police to examine the site in more detail.

The gravesite is on the northeast side of the hotel, where it is believed the women were buried decades ago, before the sanatorium closed as antibiotics began to be used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Forensic scientists from the Valais Police and the University of Lausanne have found 32 graves on the grounds using ground-penetrating radar and soil samples.

The sanatorium failed to record these burial locations, and forged documentation was found stating that the patients had been sent elsewhere to be buried. However, previously hidden documentation confirms that many women died under unknown circumstances, most likely from injuries sustained during abuse carried out under the guise of medical treatment.

All of the women are believed to have been transferred from the Gotterdorf Clinic in Germany. It is not yet known whether these patients had tuberculosis or if this diagnosis was invented in order to have the women admitted.

It wasn’t uncommon at the time for women to be placed in medical care and admitted for treatment against their will and without medical justification. Many women were interned in clinics across Europe at the behest of a male guardian or family member, as a way of taking control—of an inheritance or of independent thought and ideas.

Prosecutor Hugo Tapparel of the Valais Police said, “We are studying the findings of the report. We’ll be reaching out to the victims’ families and discussing suitable next steps as work continues.”

A relative of one of the women remarked, “We believe all of these women were under the care of Dr. Pierre Yerly, a prominent pulmonary surgeon who was known for his experimental treatments. Once the investigation has concluded we’re planning to erect a memorial in remembrance of the victims.”





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has helped bring this book to life and into print. I genuinely didn’t know how many people are involved in helping a novel move through these stages and I feel hugely privileged to have benefited from their expertise and insight.

A massive thank-you to Jeramie Orton, my wonderful editor at Pamela Dorman Books, for her enthusiasm for Elin and her story. Her forensic attention to detail and hard work has helped the novel shine and become the absolute best it can be. I couldn’t have wished for a more professional or intuitive editor to bring my book to readers in North America. A wider thank-you to everyone at Pamela Dorman Books and the Viking team, and a special mention to Jane Cavolina for her razor-sharp eye with the copyediting.

I also want to thank my brilliant editor Tash Barsby at Transworld in the UK and the team there. I can never thank you enough for wanting to bring this book to life and investing so much skill and time into developing and honing the story—you have changed my world in the best possible way.

Huge thanks to my amazing literary agent, Charlotte Seymour, who spotted something in my writing and has believed in this story from the very beginning (and took such a keen interest in my scrapbooks!). You have found me the perfect publishers. Your unwavering confidence in my work means the world to me.

Another thank-you is also extended to the wider team at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, especially the wonderful rights team and the co-agents who have sold my book in more countries than I could have imagined. A special thank-you to the tireless Halina Ko?cia, whose e-mails have brought such wonderful news. You have a habit of “making my week”! Thank you also to my foreign publishers for taking the story to their hearts.

A big thank-you to all of the people who kindly lent me their thoughts when I was researching the book, especially the Valais Police in Sion. Thank you for being so patient and generous with your time. The “what if” conversations we had unlocked so much of the novel, and even though Elin was left to her own devices, we ultimately accept your argument that the Swiss police can get anywhere and at any time. Any factual inaccuracies in Swiss police procedure are either my error or to fit the story.

I was also lucky to have support from several members of the British Association of Snowsport Instructors. In particular, Jaz Lamb of BASS Morzine, who answered many questions and also provided an introduction to the mountain rescue team in Portes du Soleil and one of their leaders, Jeremy Helvic—merci.