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Author Topic: Royal Edinburgh Asylum  (Read 524 times)
Willyway
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 29
Royal Edinburgh Asylum
« on: Thursday 14 July 05 23:19 UTC (UK) »
Hi,

Would anybody know if patient records are available for the Royal Edinburgh Asylum covering the year 1880.
David Dickson Way died there after suffering general paralysis for 2 years.  He was a Chief Mate in the Merchant Services and I'm wondering if he may have had some sort of accident.

Undecided
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Way - St. Andrews, Fife
Low - Dundee, Angus & Longforgan, Perth.
Teinder - Tealing, Angus
Gourlay - St. Andrews, Fife
ibi
RootsChat Senior
****
Posts: 362
Re: Royal Edinburgh Asylum
« Reply #1 on: Friday 15 July 05 00:47 UTC (UK) »
You need to contact the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Board archivist to see if there are any extant records.

But be aware that "general paralysis" was often shorthand for "general paralysis of the insane", which, in turn, was a polite was a polite way of saying "tertiary syphilis".

ibi
« Last Edit: Friday 15 July 05 07:15 UTC (UK) by ibi » Logged
Willyway
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 29
Re: Royal Edinburgh Asylum
« Reply #2 on: Friday 15 July 05 04:53 UTC (UK) »
Oh dear!

Thank you.
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Way - St. Andrews, Fife
Low - Dundee, Angus & Longforgan, Perth.
Teinder - Tealing, Angus
Gourlay - St. Andrews, Fife
ibi
RootsChat Senior
****
Posts: 362
Re: Royal Edinburgh Asylum
« Reply #3 on: Friday 15 July 05 06:20 UTC (UK) »
Quote from: Willyway on Friday 15 July 05 04:53 UTC (UK)
Oh dear!

Thank you.

Nae prob.

ibi
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JAP
RootsChat Leaver
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 5079
Re: Royal Edinburgh Asylum
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 19 July 05 04:31 UTC (UK) »
Quote from: Willyway on Friday 15 July 05 04:53 UTC (UK)
Oh dear!

Thank you.

Hello Willyway,

If you Google, you will find out a great deal about this very common illness/diagnosis of those times.

Some sites which might be of interest include the Wikipedia entry at:
Click Here

And (Dr) Paul Smith's excellent site re Archaic Medical Terms at:
Click Here

Given your initial reaction, do read the wise words of Paul Smith including:
Syphilis was common in the past. It does not mean that an ancestor was promiscuous or had low morals or had slept with prostitutes (although this would make contracting syphilis more likely).
and
*   Some people will find it embarrassing or shameful to discover that an ancestor died from a sexual disease
* They should remember that
- In the past, Many people who contracted venereal syphilis would
  --Be ignorant of how it was transmitted
  --Have hoped that it wouldn't affect them
  --Have thought that the risk was acceptable
- Similarly more recently, people were unaware that smoking caused lung cancer and heart attacks.
  --A hundred years from now, our descendants may be ashamed that an ancestor died from a tobacco related disease

And don't forget that, though this is less likely, there is always the possibility of misdiagnosis and/or of use of the term 'general paralysis' (as compared to 'general paralysis of the insane') in a much broader sense - so the following site might be of interest too:
Click Here

There are many many other interesting sites.

Not to mention that, since the discovery of penicillin, this very common disease of the past can now be cured - and it seems that secondary and tertiary symptoms, which were so common in the past, are virtually unknown nowadays.

Kind regards,

JAP
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