Allan Memorial Institute
| Allan Memorial Institute Institut Allan Memorial | |
|---|---|
| McGill University Health Centre | |
Location in Montreal | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°30′21″N 73°34′56″W / 45.5059°N 73.5821°W |
| Organization | |
| Care system | RAMQ (Quebec medicare) |
| Type | Teaching |
| Affiliated university | McGill University Faculty of Medicine |
| Network | McGill University Health Centre |
| Services | |
| Speciality | Psychiatry |
| History | |
| Founded | 1943 |
| Closed | 1 May 2015 (as a hospital) |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Canada |
The Allan Memorial Institute (AMI; French: Institut Allan Memorial), also known colloquially as "the Allan", is a former psychiatric hospital and research institute located at 1025 Pine Avenue West in Montreal, Canada.
The Allan Memorial Institute is affiliated with McGill University and the Royal Victoria Hospital. Opened in 1943, it became internationally known for its psychiatric research programs and clinical services. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was directed by the psychiatrist Donald Ewen Cameron, under whose leadership controversial experimental treatments were conducted. Some of this research received covert funding through the Central Intelligence Agency's Project MKUltra, a Cold War program investigating behavioural modification and interrogation resistance.
Cameron's methods included intensive electroconvulsive therapy, prolonged drug-induced sleep, sensory deprivation, and repetitive audio conditioning techniques intended to alter behavioural patterns. Many former patients later reported long-term cognitive and psychological harm. Subsequent investigations and lawsuits in the late 20th century brought public attention to these practices, contributing to reforms in research ethics, informed consent standards, and oversight of human experimentation.