Manor House

[SuspectZero]

Hi all,
I'm new here and excited to be part of these fascinating discussions. I'm researching my own theory and have gone down a few paths. I've been pouring through the Manor House patient records and the notes from Dr Tuke and his other associates. Some writing is easy to decipher whereas others, not quite so. To save me the agony of trying to decipher all these patient notes myself, has anyone transcribed them somewhere? I do know that Ann Druitt's have been done but don't know about the others.
Many thanks!

[Whitechapel]

Welcome suspectzero from New York. Doctor's handwriting is notorious at being hard to read. I hope someone has transcribed otherwise you will have to press on by comparing known words and letters. You are not the only one with a theory but if you are starting with hospital records, maybe you are searching for candidates, a bottom up approach. I hope when going down the few paths you have not found any dead ends and this appeal will help you on a road to recovery. All the best, Rich.

[SuspectZero]

Welcome suspectzero from New York. Doctor's handwriting is notorious at being hard to read. I hope someone has transcribed otherwise you will have to press on by comparing known words and letters. You are not the only one with a theory but if you are starting with hospital records, maybe you are searching for candidates, a bottom up approach. I hope when going down the few paths you have not found any dead ends and this appeal will help you on a road to recovery. All the best, Rich.

Hi Rich,
Thanks for the welcome. Since there is only your response to my post, I'm not very hopeful any has transcribed these as I'd hoped. Looks like I may have to slog through all these in detail versus the cursory review I've been giving them. Yes I am sure that most of the members here do have their own theory. I'm not searching for candidates in Tuke's hospital records. That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I'm actually looking for evidence of a suspect being there under an assumed name. This is one theory I'm pursuing. The other is digging deeper into a local doctor back in East London.
Hope to talk to you again.
Best,
Mark

[SuspectZero]

Since there are no transcriptions available on this site, I'm going to post my feeble attempts at doing this. I'll start with Dr. Tuke's patient notes on Ann Druitt (Montagues mother).

[Wickerman]

Hello Mark.
I for one would be interested to know what the actual diagnosis was for Ann Druitt. I don't recall reading it anywhere.

[SuspectZero]

Hi Jon,
In a nutshell it was depression but I'll let you decide based on what the doctor says. Since Dr. Tuke chronicles her state over months, I will will start putting these out in sections beginning with a letter from her previous doctor to Dr. Tuke providing a synopsis of her condition while under his care as he turns her care over to him.
Is it OK to post here or is there another section I should post to? I thought this area made sense since it deals with Montague and his famous suicide note referring to her.

[SuspectZero]

Ann Druitt's (Montague's mother) Medical Condition in 1890

This letter is from her physician in Brighton to her new caregiver Dr. Thomas Tuke of the Manor House in Chiswick. In the below letter to Tuke, her doctor lays out his knowledge of her past medical history up until 1890, the year she enters Manor House Asylum:

127 Eastern Rd
Brighton
June 6th, 1890

Dear Mr. Tuke,
I gladly accede to Mr. Druitt’s wish that I should give you a short account of her case, so far as I know it.
She was brought down to Brighton on leave of absence from Brooke House in the summer of ’88, and placed under my care. I never had any history of her case from the asylum authorities, but I gathered she had an attack of melancholia with stupor, from which she was slowly emerging.
I was told she had diabetes, and that Dr. Pavy had ordered her a special diet; but the urine, frequently examined since, has never shown more than slight signs of sugar and occasional traces of albumen.
She slowly improved, and the leave was prolonged from time to time until it was inadvertently allowed to run out in the beginning of ’89. It was then impossible to recertify her, her condition being one mainly of apathy with an unreasonable refusal to spend money; but these symptoms increased, so that she was placed under certificates in April of last year.
She continued more or less in the same state till this winter when she had, as I believe, an attack of influenza. Her mind was quite clear for some days during the attack; but the symptoms of melancholia and stupor became much worse after. Especially her refusal of food became more obstinate, and for the last two months she has been almost entirely fed with the stomach-tube.
She has always been very obstinate and latterly has been violent when thwarted. When in this condition, bromides have appeared to suit her; otherwise she seemed to gain most from occasional use of Indian hemp for a week or two. The bowels have been regulated by Jalapine glycerin enemata.
Last year when she was communicative, she evidently had hallucinations that she was being electrified; latterly it has been difficult to elicit anything, but her refusal of food has been justified by her alleging there is no esophageal passage.

If there is any other point which you wish me to tell you, I shall be happy to write again, and am,
Yours faithfully,

[Wickerman]

Hi Jon,
In a nutshell it was depression but I'll let you decide based on what the doctor says.

Thankyou Mark.

Is it OK to post here or is there another section I should post to? I thought this area made sense since it deals with Montague and his famous suicide note referring to her.

Perhaps a new sub-thread in the Montague Druitt thread here:

http://forum.casebook.org/forumdisplay.php?f=30

[SuspectZero]

ah ha.... good idea. Thanks, Jon. I will repost this under that category.