Henry Maudsley
Encyclopedia
Henry Maudsley was a pioneering British
psychiatrist
.
in the North Riding of Yorkshire and educated at University College London
. He was an outstandingly brilliant medical student, collecting ten Gold Medals and graduating with an M.D. degree in 1857. Like Charles Darwin
, Maudsley lost his mother at an early age and, to some extent, he carried signs of bereavement throughout his adult life, compromising his intellectual gifts with temperamental caution, detachment and secretiveness. Initially seeking employment in the East India medical services, he was required to have psychiatric experience and took an asylum job at the West Riding Asylum in Wakefield
for ten months. He then worked, less happily, at the Essex County Asylum at Brentwood
for a brief period. Unlike his slightly younger contemporary James Crichton-Browne
, Maudsley regarded himself as a physician rather than as a medical psychologist; and despite his trenchant materialism, Maudsley never flirted with phrenological ideas.
At the age of 23, Maudsley was appointed medical superintendent at the Manchester Royal Lunatic Asylum
in Cheadle Royal. He returned to London in 1862, taking up residence in Queen Anne St., Cavendish Square and, in 1865, he applied, unsuccessfully, for the position of Physician to the Bethlem Royal Hospital; however, he did obtain a position as a physician to the West London Hospital. Maudsley was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and delivered their Gulstonian Lectures in 1870 - on "Body and Mind". The text of Maudsley's lectures was studied carefully by Charles Darwin in the preparation of his The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
(1872). Maudsley was appointed Professor of Medical Jurisprudence
at University College London from 1869 to 1879.
Henry Maudsley married John Conolly
's daughter, Ann Conolly, in February 1866, and from 1866 took over the running of Conolly's private mental asylum, Lawn House, until 1874. Maudsley acquired a reputation as an outstanding essayist on medical and literary topics with numerous contributions to the Journal of Mental Science which he edited from 1862 until 1878. Maudsley's supreme position as Britain's foremost mental specialist was sealed by his acquaintance with Charles Darwin and other leading Victorian intellectuals and by his magisterial textbooks The Physiology and Pathology of Mind (1867), Body and Mind (1870) and Mental Responsibility in Health and Disease (1874). In his later years, Maudsley became something of a recluse, resigning from the Medico-Psychological Association, and, in a few scattered writings, expressing regret at his career choice of psychiatry. Maudsley was predeceased by his wife and died without issue.
In 1907, Maudsley collaborated with London County Council
to found the Maudsley Hospital
by donating £30,000. This was to be a new mental hospital
that would treat early and acute cases and have an out-patient clinic. The hospital also housed teaching and research. The buildings were ready in 1915 and a new Act of Parliament
made voluntary treatment possible. In 1948, the hospital merged with Bethlem Royal Hospital
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
.
Biographical sketch
Henry Maudsley was born on an isolated farm near GiggleswickGiggleswick
Giggleswick is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England near the town of Settle. It is the site of Giggleswick School.-Origin of name:A Dictionary of British Place Names contains the entry:...
in the North Riding of Yorkshire and educated at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was an outstandingly brilliant medical student, collecting ten Gold Medals and graduating with an M.D. degree in 1857. Like Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, Maudsley lost his mother at an early age and, to some extent, he carried signs of bereavement throughout his adult life, compromising his intellectual gifts with temperamental caution, detachment and secretiveness. Initially seeking employment in the East India medical services, he was required to have psychiatric experience and took an asylum job at the West Riding Asylum in Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
for ten months. He then worked, less happily, at the Essex County Asylum at Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
for a brief period. Unlike his slightly younger contemporary James Crichton-Browne
James Crichton-Browne
Sir James Crichton-Browne MD FRS was a leading British psychiatrist famous for studies on the relationship of mental illness to neurological damage and for the development of public health policies in relation to mental health...
, Maudsley regarded himself as a physician rather than as a medical psychologist; and despite his trenchant materialism, Maudsley never flirted with phrenological ideas.
At the age of 23, Maudsley was appointed medical superintendent at the Manchester Royal Lunatic Asylum
Cheadle Royal Hospital
Cheadle Royal Hospital, originally the Manchester Royal Lunatic Asylum, is a psychiatric hospital situated on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle Royal, an area between the villages of Heald Green and Cheadle. Built between 1848-1849, the main building is Grade II listed and was designed by Richard Lane in...
in Cheadle Royal. He returned to London in 1862, taking up residence in Queen Anne St., Cavendish Square and, in 1865, he applied, unsuccessfully, for the position of Physician to the Bethlem Royal Hospital; however, he did obtain a position as a physician to the West London Hospital. Maudsley was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and delivered their Gulstonian Lectures in 1870 - on "Body and Mind". The text of Maudsley's lectures was studied carefully by Charles Darwin in the preparation of his The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals is a book by Charles Darwin, published in 1872, concerning genetically determined aspects of behaviour. It was published thirteen years after On The Origin of Species and is, along with his 1871 book The Descent of Man, Darwin's main consideration...
(1872). Maudsley was appointed Professor of Medical Jurisprudence
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
at University College London from 1869 to 1879.
Henry Maudsley married John Conolly
John Conolly
John Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
's daughter, Ann Conolly, in February 1866, and from 1866 took over the running of Conolly's private mental asylum, Lawn House, until 1874. Maudsley acquired a reputation as an outstanding essayist on medical and literary topics with numerous contributions to the Journal of Mental Science which he edited from 1862 until 1878. Maudsley's supreme position as Britain's foremost mental specialist was sealed by his acquaintance with Charles Darwin and other leading Victorian intellectuals and by his magisterial textbooks The Physiology and Pathology of Mind (1867), Body and Mind (1870) and Mental Responsibility in Health and Disease (1874). In his later years, Maudsley became something of a recluse, resigning from the Medico-Psychological Association, and, in a few scattered writings, expressing regret at his career choice of psychiatry. Maudsley was predeceased by his wife and died without issue.
In 1907, Maudsley collaborated with London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
to found the Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...
by donating £30,000. This was to be a new mental hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
that would treat early and acute cases and have an out-patient clinic. The hospital also housed teaching and research. The buildings were ready in 1915 and a new Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
made voluntary treatment possible. In 1948, the hospital merged with Bethlem Royal Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in London, United Kingdom and part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at its original location, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in mental illnesses....
.
Works
- 1867 The Physiology and Pathology of Mind. Macmillan
- 1870 Body and Mind: An Inquiry into their Connection and Mutual Influence. Macmillan
- 1874 Responsibility in Mental Disease. King
- 1874 'Sex in mind and in education.' Fortnightly Review, 15
- 1876 The Physiology of Mind. — Enlarged and revised 3rd editions
- 1879 The Pathology of Mind. — of the 1867 work. (Macmillan)
- 1883 Body and Will: In its Metaphysical, Physiological and Pathological Aspects. Kegan, Paul
- 1886 Natural Causes and Supernatural Seemings. Kegan, Paul
- 1902 Life in Mind and Conduct: Studies of Organic in Human Nature. Macmillan
- 1908 Heredity, Variation and Genius, with Essay on Shakespeare and Address on Medicine. John BaleJohn BaleJohn Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, Sons & Danielsson - 1916 Organic to Human: Psychological and Sociological. Macmillan
- 1918 Religion and Realities. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson
See also
- Henry MaudslayHenry MaudslayHenry Maudslay was a British machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology.-Early life:...
, another 19th-century Englishman, who was an important machine toolMachine toolA machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
pioneer.