At the back of Teddy Ashton's Lancashire Annual for December 1925, edited by activist journalist Allen Clarke, mentioned recently in this blog , was a story entitled A Paper Run by Lunatics at the Prestwich Asylum . It commences with a lighthearted opening by saying many people are of the opinion that most papers are run by "lunatics", or kept going by the contributions of such individuals .
In the case of Lancashire's Prestwich Asylum , said to be the largest in Europe , with 3135 patients by l903, some of the inmates , it continued, "amused themselves by running a little journal of their own ", a weekly . It cited the week ending May 5, l906 edition of The Preswich Gazette and Chronicle . Not run off on a printing press , it consisted of a manuscript handwritten in copperplate across four pages. The editor and staff, not named for obvious reasons, appeared to have been concentrated in one man , there being sundry embellishments in red ink .
Contents were varied , with plenty of verse, in one mention was made of the "Baroness" and " Princess Victoria" These were names some deluded patients gave themselves. Clarke, under the byline , Capanbells ,wrote he had met people in mental hospitals who thought themselves royalties, or dukes and duchesses , indicating a desire for titles and pedestals one of the traits of an unbalanced mind . This led one to wonder if people outside were much saner than those in asylums .
The "lunatic editor " of the paper he examined showed no trace of mental affliction in the copy . Bedtime and feeding procedures were the subject of a lucid poem .
Then followed an item that pointed to " one of the evils-or rather opportunities of evil to unscrupulous attendants - in asylums ."
A paragraph read as follows : " We regret to hear, through one of our staff, that a certain male attendant has not been behaving himself as he should do, and if all we hear is true his conduct has been both mean and contemptible , and we trust he will take our advice and warning . For we learn several ladies connected with the laundry have formed themselves into a Brush and Broom Brigade for the purpose of defending one of their fair comrades and punishing the attendant who so far forgot his manhood and instead of affording protection to an unprotected female, almost a stranger amongst us, behaved in a manner just the reverse."
The editor of the paper then broke into 'indignant rhyme", about the episode.
She was far from home and parents,
And she had not been here long,
Yet with deliberate intention,
You planned to do her wrong.
Had you no thought of pity,
For a maiden all alone?
Have you no Mother living,
or Sisters of your own?
Dealing with criticism of the paper and complaints , the editor said he was sorry if he unintentionally hurt anybody, but the persons complaining were not telling the truth . If any of the articles had touched the conscience of some , and the cap fitted, they were welcome to wear it . Reverting to rhyme , he continued .
We mean you no harm,
So you've no need to fret ,
For it's all meant as fun
In the Prestwich Gazette .
A few years ago, the London Daily Mail ran an illustrated report with "haunting portraits " of patients at the Prestwich Asylum . The article included a gallery of photographs , more than 100 years old, which showed pitiful patients, in shabby clothing , with details of their afflictions , their delusions . Started in mid Victorian times, the asylum grew in size until it was described as being the largest in Europe . Many people were forced into it because of poverty , illness, overwork ,violent behaviour and some were unmarried mothers . One man claimed to be the chief king of the world, another said he bought his wife for four shillings and sixpence.
Medical Humbug was the title of a book Allen Clarke published , which he described as an indictment based on his experience and cases he had known , of medical humbug , ignorance , callousness and operations carried out in public hospitals without the consent of the patient or nearest relative .
