Dr. Crompton is an expert in the history of the former Worcester City and County Lunatic Asylum (later Powick Hospital), and its patients. Find out more about his work here.
The Dead Hand of Fentonism
Between August 1852 and 1920, 4,635 male patients and 4,238 female patients were committed to the Powick Pauper Lunatic Asylum[1]. The institution became Powick Mental Hospital in 1890[2]. Dr. Henry Felix Fenton, who joined Powick Hospital in 1907 as an Assistant Medical Officer, was promoted to Medical Superintendent by 1920.
Since 1854, several Medical Superintendents served at the institution. Dr. John Grahamsley, the first Medical Superintendent, committed suicide in July 1854 by poisoning himself with prussic acid for unknown reasons. His death was not reported as suicide for several months. Dr. James Sherlock replaced him in August 1854[3] and served until his death in March 1881. During his 27-year tenure, Dr. Sherlock transformed Powick into one of the best Mental Institutions in England and Wales.
Edward Marriott-Cooke, previously James Sherlock's assistant, became Medical Superintendent in October 1881. An excellent administrator, Marriott-Cooke further developed Powick Mental Hospital, gaining approval from the Institution's Management Committee and Government Inspectors of Lunatic Asylums. He turned the Mental Hospital into a profit-making institution, a feat unmatched by other Medical Superintendents in England and Wales at the time. This success led to his promotion to Commissioner in Lunacy in 1887, a position he held until retirement in 1914. He was made a KBE in 1918 and remained influential in Mental Health until his death in 1931. Marriott-Cooke later headed the Lunacy Commission and the Board of Control of Lunacy and Mental Deficiency, creating and implementing the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act[4].
George Braine-Hartnell succeeded Marriott-Cooke as Medical Superintendent of Powick Mental Hospital. However, after 1897, the hospital struggled to cope with patient numbers from Worcester City and County, making profit generation impossible. Braine-Hartnell served until 1919.
Until 1919, Powick operated on a 'Moral Treatment' basis. Dr. Fenton, influenced by Dr. Thomas Chivers Graves, adopted an alternative approach focusing on treating 'focal sepsis' in various parts of the body. Graves' theories gained support, leading to his appointment as Chief Medical Officer of all Birmingham Mental Hospitals and president of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association in 1940.
Ronald Sandison, assistant to Arthur Spencer (Medical Superintendent from 1950), referred to Fenton's nearly 30-year tenure as the 'Dead Hand of Fentonism'. Patient records from this period are unavailable, as Fenton apparently destroyed them before retiring in 1948. The challenges faced by the hospital under Fenton include:
Severe economy measures and poor patient conditions.
Adoption of Dr. Thomas Chivers Graves' theories on "focal sepsis" as a cause of mental illness (leading to the pulling of teeth and removal of tonsils)
Destruction of patient records before Fenton's retirement in 1948, hindering historical analysis.
Due to the lack of patient records after 1919, it is impossible for the author to analyze individual patient treatments during this period[5].
Citations:
[1] https://medicalmuseum.org.uk/powick-patients
[2] https://medicalmuseum.org.uk/newsletters/2020/3/5/out-of-the-wilderness-years-the-dawn-of-a-new-era-at-powick-mental-hospital-dr-mark-gallagher
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powick_Hospital
[4] https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/the-best-websites-for-hospital-and-asylum-records
[5] https://historic-hospitals.com/mental-hospitals-in-britain-and-ireland/mental-hospitals-in-england/
[6] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55b52e37e4b0addeebb56e63/t/60ba40a5bf3efe008e08d3a2/1622818984745/General+Paralysis+of+Insanity,+Frank+Crompton+2021.pdf
[7] https://historywm.com/podcasts/powick-hospital-mental-illness
[8] https://mark-macleod-md7g.squarespace.com/s/Crompton-The-Making-of-a-Master-of-Lunacy-dajf.pdf
