David Richie's medical casebook notes from the London County Asylum

In my last 3 blog posts, I shared letters written by my great-grandfather after being admitted to the London County Asylum in Hanwell. Now I am going to turn to the notes contained in his medical casebook, which were accessed from the London Metropolitan Archives and transcribed for me by Judy Lester of Kerrywood Research.

The notes are fairly brief. They begin with a partially-completed report on David Ritchie's personal and family background. Much of the information in the report has come up before in regard to his admission to the Marylebone Workhouse and Dr Menzies' assessment of his physical condition. I will, therefore, share only what is new or interesting.

For example, many of the questions relating to David Ritchie's childhood were left blank. Presumably, the reason for this is that the person filling in the report skipped over several of the questions because they weren't relevant to the case. If my great-grandfather had objected to answering them, a note would surely have been made to this effect. At any rate, it is a pity because such information would have been extremely valuable from a genealogical point of view.

Nevertheless, some useful facts do emerge. The patient "is the second of a family of three of which all are alive." He is well educated. He has not always been "weak-minded". He has been able to earn his own living since just before admittance. He did not suffer convulsions as a child, nor has he ever experienced fits or seizures. He has no history of somnambulism, rickets, chorea, rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, giddiness, headaches, asthma, influenza or gout, and has never contracted syphilis or gonorrhoea.

In habits, David Ritchie Sr is "steady". He has no history of heavy drinking. After he began to show symptoms of mental illness, he displayed violence towards his wife. He is suffering from insomnia but is not suicidal.

The report gives few details about his family of origin except that his father died of ptomaine poisoning, a very serious kind of food poisoning. Also, that the family had no history of intemperance or mental breakdown.

Reflecting on the above, I am reminded that the facts pertain to my family history too. If David Ritchie Sr is indeed my blood relative, then his healthy lifestyle, steady habits and stable childhood all factor into my genetic inheritance. The fact that he was found to be of unsound mind and committed to a lunatic asylum is, in my view, more a question of hyper-sensitivity and an inability to function properly in stressful situations. With luck, the progress notes in the casebook will provide more insight.

Photo credit: "Alcohol. Drunkenness. Ruin." by Ewan Munro.