Alfred townsend

alfred townsend

Alfred Townsend was born in 1865 in Martley, Worcestershire to James B Townsend – a labourer - and Emma Townsend (née Bryan) who were both from Herefordshire. He grew up with five brothers: William, George, Charles, Walter, and Albert. He worked as a Labourer at the local Gasworks.

Alfred Townsend was committed to Powick Asylum on 10 August 1894, at the age of twenty-eight, to be treated for mania, caused by domestic troubles. On his admission notes, it is stated that he belonged to the Church of England, and could both read and write. In fact he had been an attendant at the hospital about four years prior to his own admission there, as well as working at Holloway Sanitorium, Virginia Water.

He died at Powick on 17 June 1902.

summary of alfred’s patient notes

His certifier stated that he was dangerous to others, and had delusions he was being drugged. He was suspicious of his wife's faithfulness and he had threatened to kill his brother’s child believing that it was his wife's child by another man. 

The patient was fairly nourished. The right side of his face was somewhat swollen owing, he says, to a blow there about ten years ago. His organs appeared to act normally. Mentally he talked in a somewhat rambling fashion about being got at by people who wished to get rid of him. He says that they drugged him by putting stuff on his lettuce.

On August 18 he was quiet and well behaved, but still deluded. He stated that his food had been poisoned by his parents. At times he fancied that his wife was in the asylum. On 27 August he was thought to be doing well and his conduct was good, but he was still deluded about his parents. On 1 September he had improved, he looked better and less haggard. On 8 September he was again much improved physically. He went out to work on the land. On 6 October he was still deluded and maintained that whilst his parents did not visit him he had no doubts that his mother was not far off and that she could see him although he could not see her. Then his mother did come to visit him, but he refused to see her, because he was convinced she wanted rid of him. On 4 November he was still deluded about his parents, but otherwise he behaved well and worked cheerfully. On 16 December he was restless and unsettled. He asked to be sent away, but said he would not go home or eat anything in his mother’s house.  

On 12 January he had been asking to be allowed to go away and would return to this subject two or three times a day. On 6 February he was in an irritable and discontented state, with the idea that one of the attendants was trying to spite him. There was no foundation for these suspicions. On 6 March he was about the same; he was troublesome with repeated complaints about being kept in the institution when he was perfectly sane, but he worked well in the ward. On 16 April he was quiet and was working well in the garden.

On 15 May Dr. Pulford completed his records, stating that he was not improved. He was still deluded and working in the garden, but remained discontented and difficult to deal with. On 7 June it was recorded that he had been peculiar in his manner. He had threatened to do something to the Medical Superintendent Dr. Cooke if he did not let him go, and had been kept in from work for two days. On 27 June Dr. Cooke went carefully into the patient's condition, and towards the end of their conversation he became very sullen and nasty, stating that he would tell the asylum committee that one of the patients in the ward had been used badly. Dr. Cooke then asked him to state the facts of the case to him so that he could investigate the matter, but he absolutely refused to say any more about it and Dr. Cooke could only come to the conclusion that there were no substantial grounds for his complaint. Only a week previously Dr. Cooke had occasion to speak seriously to him on account of his behaviour to an attendant who went to his ward pantry to empty some water down the sink, when the patient who was in there washing up objected and on being spoken to he became very abusive and tried to turn him out. On 7 July there was no improvement to report, but on 16 July this patient was still said to be suffering from mania. He was as deluded as on admission; believing that his brother William’s child was his own wife's child by another man and that his sister in law and his wife tried to poison him before he was admitted here. As a rule this man’s general behaviour was good, but at times he was awkward and he wanted to interfere with the attendants in their duties. He had an enlarged heart and a loud mitral systolic murmur, but he was well nourished. This was a report to the Commissioners in Lunacy to allow this man to remain in the institution. On October 8 Alfred Townsend was in much the same condition. He was frequently quarrelsome with his fellow patients.

On January 20 1896 it was stated that this patient did not improve. He was quarrelsome and he interfered with his fellow patients and with the attendants in performing their duties. His general health was now only moderate. On April 16 this man was stated to be not as well mentally, At times he talked in a somewhat foolish rambling manner. He imagined that his wife was in the laundry here and he says he has seen here there. Another Report to the Lunacy Commissioners on 13 July stated that this man was still suffering from mania. He was still deluded as he still imagined that he was given poisoned meat by some of his relations to 'work him up' so that they could send him here, but also that his wife was unfaithful to him. He mistakes the identity of people and he says he sees his wife and sister in the institution's laundry. He was uncertain in his behaviour and at times he was violent and he required supervision. He was fairly nourished, but he had mitral disease. On October 18 this inmate’s photograph was taken, but there was no change to report.

On January 3 1897 this man continued in a very deluded state. He imagined that the Senior Assistant Medical Officer cohabited with his wife and he threatened to attack him if he got the chance. On April 17 he was the same, but on July 19 his delusions continued when he suggested that he had caused the sun to set and he talked to himself and gesticulated in an insane manner. On October 24 there was no change to record. On January 5 1898 this man continued to be very deluded and he imagined that people came into his room at night and injured him in various ways, His general health was moderate. On April 20 he was unchanged. Then on July 10 Assistant Medical Officer Wilkinson reported that this patient's mental state was rambling and deluded. He still affirmed that people came into his room at night and paralysed him with an electrical machine. He requested during the winter to have his skin opened so that the Devil's blood could flow out and that he be allowed to wear his own clothes. He was now spare with a cardiac impulse that was diffused and with an apex beat at each fifth space nipple line with a blowing bruit at the apex of his heart traceable at the angle of his scapula. On 11 July a report was sent to the Lunacy Commissioners to obtain a Continuation Certificate. It stated that Alfred Townsend was still suffering from mania. He conversed in a very rambling and deluded manner and he believed that he had sexual intercourse with the Holy Spirit and he stated that God had put him in the asylum because he sinned in the 'wilderness'. At times this man was threatening in language and violently disposed and he was restless at night. He was spare in body and suffering from mitral disease with compensatory hypertrophy and with varicose veins in both legs. On October 4 this man was unchanged. On January 20 1899 Assistant Medical Officer J O Veitch reported that this inmate was still very deluded and mentally unchanged. His physical condition was not good and his heart was rather weak. ON March 14 during a fight with another patient called John Brooks he got struck on the head with a soup ladle making a cut about three inches long that had almost healed. On April 7 this man had not improved and he was very deluded and very rambling in conversation. The cut on his head had now healed. On July 6 there was no change to record. This patient continued in his rambling and deluded condition and he was often noisy especially at night. On October 1 he was unchanged.

On January 2 1900 Alfred Townsend was very unsettled and becoming restless, noisy, excited and destructive. He was now very dirty and untidy in his habits. On April 5 he was still suffering from mania. He was very deluded and he said he was a 1,000,000 years old and that he had £1,000,000 in money and that he had built and owned millions houses. He still said people came into his room at night and walked all over him and knocked him about. He was very untidy in person, being also perverted in his habits. His speech was slurred and indistinct and he had difficulty in pronouncing some of his words. At times this man was very noisy, excited, sleepless at night, mischievous and destructive. He was very rambling in his talk being quite unable to sustain a conversation. He had hallucinations of sight and hearing and he was sparely nourished. He had mitral disease and a hypertrophoid heart. His lungs still appeared to be acting normally. On July 2 there was no change to record, but on 23 of the same month this man was reported to have been very restless and excited lately. He had been destructive and he tore up his clothes. To remedy this he was dressed in a strong dress, but he now also managed to tear this too. However, he was then said to be a little steadier, but he was not given a draught of chloral hydrate, a strong sedative, at night. On October 14 this inmate was unchanged, but it was stated that lately he had been sleeping better.

On January 10 1901 Alfred Townsend was lately said to have become shaky and tremulous, so much so that it had become an effort for him to feed himself, because his hands were so shaky. His speech was also worse. He was transferred to Male Ward No. 4 where his general health was very unsatisfactory. On April 5 he was still very shaky and he was in unsatisfactory health. Mentally he was unchanged. On June 10 he was very shaky and unable to stand without assistance. His speech was now very tremulous and indistinct and it was hard to understand what he said. He had also been falling about his room at night on several occasions. He was frequently examined, but no injuries could be made out. He had a prolapsed anus which at times was very troublesome. He was now in the most unsatisfactory health. On July 15 this man was said to be suffering from dementia. He now had a dull vacant expression and he was quite unable to converse. He was very lost and confused and he had no idea where he was or how long he had been here. He no longer knew the value of money, so that he said there were 1,000 shillings in a pound. At times, especially at night, he was very restless, noisy and destructive. He converted in his habits being constantly wet and dirty. He has to be fed, dressed and undressed. His heart had an enlarged mitral systolic bruit at the apex. His lungs appeared to act normally. He had a prolapsed ani. His speech was hesitant, slurred and indistinct and he had a large facial lesion. He was very shaky and he could not stand without assistance. He was now in the most unsatisfactory general health. This report was sent to the Lunacy Commission. In the afternoon of 11 September this man looked very ill and his temperature was taken. It was 102.2 degrees. He was put to bed and was placed on a milk diet. An examination of this inmate's chest proved negative. On 14 September his temperature was still elevated, but ho cause for this was found in his chest. Then, on 21 September this man was again in his normal health and his temperature had fallen to normal. He was very shaky and quite unable to stand without assistance. He was also unable to do anything for himself as regards dressing and undressing and he was very abstemious with his food having bread, milk and minced meat. On October 12 Dr. J S Barnes reported that this man’s physical strength had improved and that he could now stand and walk and he was eating the ordinary food. As a rule Alfred Townsend sat silently rubbing his knees, but he was noisy when he was upset when his hair or nails were cut. He was still wet and dirty.

On January 2 1902 Dr. J O Vetitch reported that this patient had gone down hill rapidly since the last report. He was now quite unable to stand without assistance. He was very resistive during dressing and undressing which was done by others and at these times he was very noisy. On several occasions recently he had fallen and although he was then frequently examined no injuries were found. He was now in very unsatisfactory health. On April 20 Dr. H B Butler reported that this man was in the last stages of general paralysis. He was bedridden and in a very critical condition. On May 20 Alfred Townsend was now in the most critical condition. He was exceedingly thin, with contracted limbs and bed sores over his sacrum and along the left side of the iliac crest. He was extremely noisy; uttering a yell which appeared to be automatic with every expiration. On June 17 he had been quiet during the night, which was the first time for several months. He died at 10.00 am and there was a Death Certificate in the records together with a temperature Chart from 11 to 17 June.