[Sir Rickman Godlee, President of the Royal College of Surgeons and pioneer in the field of brain surgery.] Autograph Note Signed ('R. G. Godlee') to 'Mr. Rivington', regarding the 'ornamental' nature of his association with the Surgical Aid Society.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper adhering to blank reverse. Reads: 'Dear Mr Rivington | I am sorry they dont give me any tickets for the Surgical Aid Socy. I am only ornamental | Yours truly | R. G. Godlee'. From the distinguished autograph collection of the psychiatrist Richard Alfred Hunter (1923-1981), whose collection of 7000 works relating to psychiatry is now in Cambridge University Library. Hunter and his mother Ida Macalpine had a particular interest in the illness of King George III, and their book 'George III and the Mad Business' (1969) suggested the diagnosis of porphyria popularised by Alan Bennett in his play 'The Madness of George III'.