Dundee Royal Lunatic Asylum

[maddymoss]

Hi Russell,

The archivist is a 'she', by the name of Jennifer Johnstone. I don't know if she is into genealogy - it would be like a joiner taking up woodworking for a hobby!

Cheers,
maddymoss.

[Russell]

Hi maddymoss

Why not ?

As a nurse I used to teach first-aid, moving and handling and taught human biology but then I loved my job and it wasn't really work

Mind you I was a bloke in a world mainly full of women and NO --I didn't marry a nurse despite all that choice.
It's so good now that hospital records are being made available. In my day you almost had to produce birth certificate, marriage certificate and passport to get any information at all and the archives were just that -cardboard boxes stuck in attics and store rooms dusted off once a year.

Russell

[LesleyB]

Hi maddymoss

His case notes and, wonder of wonders, a photograph are available and can be copied and emailed to me.

Excelllent result - just like Christmas!! =D> So thrilled for you. Photos, to me, are the real tresure of family history research.

Best wishes
Lesley

[maddymoss]

I received, from the very helpful staff in Dundee University archives dept., my g.g. uncle’s case history and photograph. His case history reflected, very understandably, medical knowledge at the time, though I wonder what present day medical opinion would have made of his condition.
Dates of births marriages and deaths are fine, but this photograph together with statements from his wife and mother-in-law (whom he threatened to kill), emphasised the fact they were real people.
The obvious family resemblance in the photograph was the man’s ears. Like a considerable proportion of my family they were large!

Thanks to everyone who helped in any way.

[steiner]

Glad to hear about your good news and a photograph too!

[Rockford]

Hi Maddymoss,

It's wonderful that you have found out so much about him and the photo is a real bonus!

You asked originally why he may have ended up in Dundee rather than a hospital in Lanarkshire or Glasgow. I don't know about Glasgow, but I think that Lanarkshire did not have an Asylum until Hartwood Asylum opened in 1895. My 3 x great grandfather who was also a miner living in Lanarkshire from 1850 until 1891 was sent to Crichton Royal Asylum in Dumfries around 1891/1892 and was transferred to Hartwood (near Shotts) when it opened. He spent 20 years in total in both places until his death in 1911.

Where folk were sent perhaps also depended on the nature of the condition and where the expertise was in dealing with it.

Best wishes

Brian

[diacam]

Just came upon Helen Cockburn's death in the Royal Lunatic Asylum in Dundee, 24 Mar 1882.
I am having trouble reading the backhand script of the recorder of the death cert ....
Exhaustion from Phagehouies? Duration 11 days. What could that be? Phage as a suffix means inability to swallow, but as a prefix?
Who can I contact to see if there are records for clarification? I am in the US.
Thanks for all the info about the folks that were in the Asylum, it sounds so grim at first, but probably
was one of the only places to go.
Diana Campbell
Sandpoint, Idaho

[Russell]

Hi Diana and welcome to TalkingScot
Despite my medical/nursing background I couldn't come up with a possible diagnosis from your post. If you could scan in the record to our Gallery we could get a better idea. We have had some appalling handwriting to decipher in the past. Try to include enough examples of the handwriting to allow comparisons of style and form of individual letters.

Russell

[AndrewP]

Hi Diana,

I had a look at the certificate, and agree that the handwriting is hard to read. I googled "words beginning phag" and selected the following webpage:

http://itools.subhashbose.com/wordfind/ ... -with/phag

In my opinion the two best fitting results there are phagedenic or phagedaenic. Then consulting my dictionary, Chambers Dictionary, I believe the cause of death is Exhaustion from Phagedaenic Ulceration, 1 day. The dictionary definition of phagedenic or phagedaenic is rapidly spreading ulceration, once common in hospitals - hospital gangrene.

HelenCockburn_1882.png

All the best,

AndrewP

[SarahND]

Hi Diana,
Small world. I'll bet you never thought that one of the administrators of Talking Scot was also in Sandpoint, Idaho Currently connecting to the internet in the middle of the woods.

Brilliant, Andrew! I think you have the answer.

Best wishes,
Sarah