Criminal and Incurable Patient Admission Registers and Casebooks, 1778-1864

This volume contains criminal patient admission registers, male and female patient casebooks, and “incurable and criminal” patient casebooks compiled by the Bethlem Royal Hospital during the period 1778-1864. 

Criminal patient admission registers, 1816-1864 (Reference: ARD): These registers include the patient’s name, admission date, age, address or previous institution, crime, judgement of the court, when and where they were tried, condition of life, and discharge or removal date. 

Male and female patient casebooks, 1819-1823 (Reference: CB): These casebooks include the patient’s name and admission date, as well as a description of their illness and observations on their behaviour.

Incurable and criminal patient casebooks, 1778-1864 (Reference: CBC): These books contain case notes on both “criminal and incurable” patients admitted to Bethlem. According to the Museum of the Mind, they “derive their provenance from Bethlam Royal Hospital in the case of incurable patients, and from the State Criminal Lunatic Asylum in the case of criminal patients, as Bethlam officers were paid by the state to administer and provide care for criminal lunatics.”