Insanity In 1888

[silverstealth]

Whenever I look through asylum case books I always look at the books between November 1888 and April 1889 for reference to Jack.

You never know old Jack, might have been tucked away in a cosy Northumberland asylum for example. Anyway that aside I have not found him yet.

I did find this though, that is certainly of interest, 9th December 1888, admission to Wakefield asylum, that he would be a "Jack The Ripper to his aunts".

Although James Hargreaves, clearly did not murder his aunts, the question I ask myself is how many other murders, attempted murders were committed as a result of Jacks influence?

[looby64]

Its interesting that hes been in an asylum before, also the No of his admission at the top right hand of page 10,228 goes to show how many people were classed as insane.
Thanks for the posting it.
x Looby

[smezenen]

Its also interesting to see that in an asylum case book they have a seperate entry just for epilepy it was only in 1859 that real study of epilepsy was started. Hippocrates did correctly identify it as a disease around 400 B.C. but prior to John Hughlings Jackson research it was often thought to be a possesion by demons or witchcraft that caused seizures. it wasnt until 1912 and the development of phenobarbital that is was first sucsessfully treated with medication.

[silverstealth]

Its interesting that hes been in an asylum before, also the No of his admission at the top right hand of page 10,228 goes to show how many people were classed as insane.
Thanks for the posting it.
x Looby

This particular asylum opened in 1818, Menston asylum close by opened in 1888 and by 1908 had received a similar number of admissions. Just goes they were packing them in in the latter part of the century.

[looby64]

I can imagine alot of ailments, diseases and illness were put down as insanity in those days. I suppose even PMS was classed the same.