MENTAL

An interesting piece of Exeter ephemera. See ‘Besley’s Exeter Directory for 1835’: ‘LUNATIC ASYLUM, St. Thomas. Founded in 1795. The expenses are defrayed by the board of patients whose friends can afford to pay for their maintenance, and by benefactions, legacies, &c.’ (In the entry ‘John Mackintosh’ is still listed as treasurer.) 1p, landscape 12mo. Addressed by Mackintosh on reverse to ‘Mr. James Penny / Bookseller / Fore St. / Exeter’. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper, with slight staining and damage from breaking open wafer.

24pp., 4to, good condition. With a sprinkling of annotation. Author's Summary: 1. Introduction; 2. Life in four different mental institutions is described. These Institutions comprise:- A. A privately owned nursing home; B. A county mental hospital; C. A small town general hospital mental obs. ward; D. A large city general hospital mental obs. ward; 3. Legislative and medical administrative reforms are suggested and discussed. Quotation from the Introduction: I have lived for two months in mental institutions, sharing the life of the patients for the full twenty-four hour day.

St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics was founded in 1750 by City of London philanthropists to treat mental illness among the poor of London. In 1786 it moved from Moorfields to Old Street, where it remained until 1916. Simmons was appointed physician to the hospital in 1781. 6pp, 16mo. A piece of laid watermarked paper has been neatly torn into three 16 x 10 cm leaves: a bifolium, with the single leaf loosely inserted. In good condition, lightly aged. A poignant artefact. Simple, brief notes, giving age, name, date [of admission], address, some with follow-up notes. The six women are 'Eliz.

2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to one edge. Begins: 'Samuel Tuke having been disappointed of an opportunity of sending by a private hand a parcel to his friend Dr Max. Jacobi will be much obliged to J. Churchill to send to him four copies of the translation of his work'.

See Manning's entry in Munk's Roll. The recipient was father of 'Broke of the Shannon', the naval hero Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke (1776-1841). 1p, foolscap 8vo. On aged and worn paper, with tide staining at one edge, which is repaired with archival tape, and thin strip of paper from mount on the blank reverse. Addressed at foot to 'Ph: B: Broke Esqr: | Broke's Hall | Near Ipswich'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. The recipient is not named. The letter begins: 'My Dear Sir, | I beg to introduce my friend Mr. Walker to you as he is frequenting the Leeds Anniversary Meeting of the Association'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In fair condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded once. Forty-three lines of text. He begins by expressing pleasure at the prospect of being associated with Pierce 'in the Course of Lectures on Mental Diseases', and at the news that Pierce has 'decided to take up the Systematic Part'. He leaves the choice of day to Pierce, and offers to put him up for the night.

Proctor was a much loved individual in literary circles, from the days of the London Magazine to the mid-Victorian period, in which he was the dedicatee of both Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair' and Wilkie Collins's 'Woman in White'. His reputation as a poet was international: he was thought highly of by Pushkin. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse. The letter reads: 'Dear [Harris?] | Pray tell me where [?] I can have some conversation with you about some patients of the name of [Lealer? Lester?], whom you know.

3pp, 4to. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice. Fifty-two lines of text. He thanks Pierce for his 'most kind expressions of regard for myself, & your eulogistic & cordial tribute to my poor efforts in the cause of Psychological Medicine'. which he has read in 'the account of the proceedings at the Edinburgh Meeting in July last', in the Journal of Mental Science.

4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the reverse of the second leaf. He begins by thanking Spencer for giving him the opportunity of 'seeing such an interesting case as that of Master Armytage, whose mother came yesterday with him from Bristol to consult me'. The 'nature of the case' appears to Althaus 'very clear.

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly aged and browned paper, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the reverse. Folded twice. The letter reads: 'Mr George Helyar arrived here last night accompanied by your attendant from whom I received your letter and a purse containing £11 – 12 – Mr Helyar has slept well and appears comfortable this morning, and I hope will go on well with us - | When his Clothes arrive I will inform you - | I also received the Order, & Certificates from the attendant for which pray accept my thanks -'.

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with ink quite faded, and thin strip of paper from mount adhering to the blank second leaf of the bifolium. Folded twice. He begins by expressing pleasure at Peirce's 'appointment' (as medical superintendent at the Retreat, York), also congratulating 'those with whom your duties will bring you in contact'. He thinks he is 'wise to take 6 months in Bethlem'. He asks him to 'look up my old friend Dr Ramsay' when he goes to York. Ramsay is 'a very fine fellow indeed' and Peirce will 'find it a pleasure to know him'.

7pp, 4to. Containing 112 lines of text on two bifoliums. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded three times. Headed 'Private', and with the heading, date and place written by Halliday at a different time from the rest of the text. A long and impassioned letter, in which Halliday offers to become inspector of 'all the public and Private Asylums in England and Wales', at a payment of no more than £150 a year in expenses.

31 + [1]pp., 8vo. Stapled without wraps. Drophead title. (Offprint from Transactions of the Medico-Legal Society.) In fair condition, lightly aged, central vertical fold, rusted staples. 'No reasonable person', Riddell writes, 'suggests the wholesale sterilisation of masses of lunatics and defectives. Only very moderate measures are proposed.' Riddell's suggestion is that 'in suitable cases, subject to the consent of the Board of Control, or some similar body', and with the consent of the subject, lunatics and mental defectives be sterilised.

Piece of paper, 18 x 10 cm, bottom edge irregularly cut, good condition. Text: Sir | Three days after Sight be pleased to pay Mr Richard Grover or Order this Sum of Eleven Pounds four Shillings for Value received by Bill for Mr Archd Duff from Sr | Yr humble servant | Wm Perfect." Followed by (possibly in different hand) "James Gordon Esq: Bury Couret | St Mary Axe London. | No. 14. On verso, signature of Richard Grover and "witness for Mr Leach | J Williams." Pencil note aded "Wine Merchant", but "The Tradesman" of 1808 records a Richard Grover, Grocer, in Town Malling.

417pp., 8vo. A fair copy, on lightly aged paper, a little loose in worn publisher's brown cloth binding, with gilt title on spine and decorative cross on front board, and green patterned endpapers. Blind stamp of the W. H. Smith Library, Strand, to front free endpaper. According to Hammond's biographer Bonnie Ellen Blustein, 'The complex plot of Doctor Grattan revolved around the relation of insanity to neurological impairment, and touched on the subjects of neuralgia, headache, kleptomania, and delusions.' This English edition of Hammond's book is now uncommon.

The collection is in fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Geall's pamphlet is 12pp., 12mo, and stapled. The only copies on OCLC WorldCat at Harvard Medical School and Cape Town. The back page carries a letter by Geall to an unnamed individual [ Marcus Adams ], dated 17 January 1954. The handbill advertisement for the Leicester Institute of Mental Science is 4pp., 12mo., on a bifolium. The other two letters, each on Geall's letterhead, are both 1p., 4to.

Pamphlet: 19pp., small 4to. Stapled pamphlet in cream wraps, with the Hospital's arms printed in gold on front cover. On shiny art paper, with full-page frontispiece, seven illustrations in text, and two maps at rear. Internally in fair condition, lighty-aged; in worn wraps with slight discolouration to the back. Uncommon. No copy at the British Library; four copies on COPAC, all at London libraries (Guildhall; King's College; Bishopsgate; Wellcome); and only one more copy (Yale) on OCLC WorldCat. Programme: 2pp., 4to, on a single leaf. In fair condition, aged and worn, neatly folded.

6pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, with two slight rust stains from staple. Shelfmarks, stamp and label of the Board of Education Reference Library. Divided into five sections: Causes of Incapacity; Importance of early recognition of Mental Defect; Definition of Mental Defect, under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913; Methods of dealing with mentally defective children; Procedure. No copy found on COPAC or OCLC WorldCat.

11pp., 12mo. Stitched. With stamp, shelfmarks and labels of the Board of Education Reference Library. Scarce: no copy in the British Library, and the only copy on COPAC in the library of the Royal College of Surgeons.

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. Text complete, on aged paper with a number of closed tears repaired with archival tape. The second leaf of the bifolium, lacking a strip at the top, is docketed 'Dr. Morris of Parliament Street's Success in curing Persons afflicted with Complaints similar to that which His Majesty labours under'. Considering the political content at the end of the letter, the author is probably Charles Hamilton, at the time of writing known by his courtesy title of Lord Binning.

Striking vellum document, 60 x 75 cm. Docketed on reverse. 32 lines of text, ruled with red lines, with ornate engraved decorative border along three sides, headed in large letters 'Victoria by the Grace of God', and depicting the young Queen, the royal crest, a crown held by a cherub, blind justice, and other images. Tax stamp in margin and frayed ribbon at foot. On 9 September [V Geo.

Unbound and stapled. Sixty-four pages. Dimensions of leaf roughly thirteen inches by eight wide. Lithographed facsimile handwriting throughout. Aged and with some wear to extremities, but text clear and entire. 'Clerk of Writ Copy' in red ink manuscript at head of first page. An interesting and informative document, compiled on behalf of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, giving in detail the specifications for builders tendering for the contract for the erection of the new hospital.

12mo: 1 p. On lightly spotted and creased paper. Quintessential doctor's handwriting. He is sorry he cannot be present 'to hear Dr 's paper', and that he cannot find time to write a paper himself. 'The subject is an interesting & important one, & is part of a still larger one <...?> physiologically considered'.