Asylum Records and photograph of Jacob Isenschmid(t)

[The Rookie Detective]

Hi Lynn,

A lot of the inmates had very creepy eyes. The 1908 photo I presume was the admittance photo. There should be a discharge photograph as well.

Here's a page from the books so people can see what they are like. That is Hyam Hyams top right hand corner.

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Rob

Hi all

Just a random observation regarding the photo mug shots...

Is the man pictured directly below Hyams; Albert Bachert?


I know it's unlikely, but the surname and his appearance stand out



RD

[The Rookie Detective]

Bump up

[Little Nell]

Two points

1. I can confirm that Jacob's daughter Catharine/Katherine married Charles Williams in 1907.

Information from marriage cert:
3rd August 1907, Register Office, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
Charles Williams 44 years, widower, domestic servant, No. 8 Rendcombe. Father: William Williams, farm labourer.
Katherine Annie Isenschmidt 35 years, spinster. No. 8 Rendcombe. Father: Jacob John Isenschmidt, meat salesman.

Although Katherine has no occupation on marriage cert (often missed off marriage certs at that time) she was a lady's maid at Rendcombe House, which is where Charles worked. They had no children. I don't know if this is because Katherine was infertile [Charles had 8 children with his first wife Ellen Purvey] or if they avoided children because there were already 8 to cope with - or whether they were afraid, since not only Katherine's father, but Charles' uncle suffered from insanity.

Charles was my great-grandfather and his maternal uncle William Mealing, killed his fiancee in 1962 and spent the rest of his life in Broadmoor, suffering from religious monomania, homicidal mania and melancholy. He was sometimes put on suicide watch and died in 1908.

2) I don't think Jacob had syphilis. His physical health is generally considered either good or fair in asylum reports. Although there is mention of the right hand side of his face looking paralysed, this doesn't imply general paralysis. It might be that he'd suffered nerve damage or maybe a small stroke.

[lynn cates]

syphilis

Hello Bunny. Thanks. I think much of Mickle's excellent book is available online.

I had heard that GP was frequently caused by syphilis, but in JI's case--first episode 1887, died 1910--it seems a rather long pair of termini for that malady.

I am checking with libraries to see if they can find Mickle's collected works, especially his correspondence.

The best.
LC

[Archaic]

Hi Lynn. I sometimes see articles about 'General Paralysis of the Insane' in the old medical journals I've been looking through. If you're interested in them I'll try to find you a few.

Another common LVP term for this disease was "General Paresis."

The modern term for it is "Neuro-Syphilis". It's a form of dementia known to be caused by a syphilitic infection and is treatable today if caught in the early stages.

Best regards,
Archaic

[lynn cates]

Mickle

Hello Silver. Thanks for that very helpful diagnosis. The chap who saw him at Grove Hall asylum was Dr. Julius Mickle--the foremost authority on general paralysis (he wrote a book on it ca 1880).

Actually, JI was admitted to the asylum on about a half dozen occasions.

Any other information you have will be appreciated.

The best.
LC

[silverstealth]

At his initial reception into the asylum he displays classic symptoms of GPI, General paralysis of the insane. The grandiose gestures and unlikely accounts of his life fit perfectly. People suffering with GPI, would lay claim to extreme wealth and even royal birth, the unfortunate suffering from the malady would offer anybody a dukedom or embark on the wildest adventures.

The only compensation to this horrific disease was the patients inability to acknowledge his degeneration and more often than not died in total happiness believing himself to be "on the top of the World"

One other indicator apparent from early on in the condition would be one of the pupils being more dilated than the other. The three stage tragedy as it was known, would as a rule take less than 3 years till death. Death was always the outcome.

I was really surprised to see him discharged and then re admitted 11 years later.

Nice work converting the record to text, I know from personal experience the casebooks can be incredibly difficult to decipher.

[lynn cates]

frank admission

Hello Rob. Thanks for that.

When I'm finally admitted I hope I don't run into any such characters.

The best.
LC

[Rob Clack]

Hi Lynn,

It's Thomas Kelly. No admission date on the photo but he was in the 'Old Case Resident. 1899' So he would have been admitted pre 1893 when the book started.

Rob

[lynn cates]

indeed

Hello Rob. Thanks. I see what you mean.

Who was that Kelly (?) chap?

The best.
LC

[Rob Clack]

Hi Lynn,

A lot of the inmates had very creepy eyes. The 1908 photo I presume was the admittance photo. There should be a discharge photograph as well.

Here's a page from the books so people can see what they are like. That is Hyam Hyams top right hand corner.



Rob

[lynn cates]

the eyes have it

Hello Rob. Thanks for that, well done! I am still awaiting my copy from London.

Is it just me or does anyone else note a marked dissimilarity of his eyes in the before and after photos? Upon discharge, his eyes look quite normal--even cheerful. But his eyes upon admission seem so different. I would not want to meet the above edition in a dark alley.

Cheers.
LC

[Rob Clack]

Here's Isenschmidt's photographs from his 1895 and 1896 stay.
On both pages it is spelt 'Iscenscmidt'

1895 admission photo


1896 discharge photo


Rob

[lynn cates]

records

Hello Roy. Thanks for the information. Although the archivist indicated to me that the records from Grove Hall are thought not to have survived, it might yet be worth pursuing.

She noted that I can still get a few snippets from Banstead and the Islington board of guardians. I hope to pursue that if I have time later on.

Yes, when I saw the coat and vest I thought of you.

Cheers.
LC

[Roy Corduroy]

Great pity that all his 1888 records have gone missing.

Those records being from his stay at Grove Hall, Bow. A pity, yes but not necessarily a mystery. Grove Hall was one of five private asylums that also took pauper patients. It was run since 1836 by three generations of the the Byas family, with Edward H Byas being both the Med Supt and proprietor at the time it closed in 1905.

I'll go out on a limb here and guess that if Isenschmid's patient file from 1888 survived it was in possession of the Byas family.

Roy

ps - checked out his photo again. Wearing corduroy.