Hi. Im Currently trying to Find out info about my great-grandfather who died at City Asylum in 1925. The family story was that he was sent to Winson Green prison for stealing fruit and subsequently had a nervous breakdown and was transferred to the asylum. Which if true is really tragic. However, I have unearthed his death certificate which says he died of general paralysis of the insane which I’m led to believe is insanity caused by untreated syphillis, so I can completely see why the family covered it up. It would be really good to see if he actually was initially in the prison, and if any of the family story is true, but I’m drawing blanks. Any pointers would be gratefully receive. Thank you
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winson green asylum
- Thread starter josietrue
- Start date
What a fascinating story. It wasn’t until the discovery of penicillin that there was an effective treatment for syphilis. Once general paralysis of the insane developed, it was unfortunately invariably fatal. Certainly, in those days’ general paralysis of the insane accounted for significant proportion of deaths in institutions.
have you tried searching the online british newspaper archives...could be possible that if your gt grandad was sent to winson green prison it may have been reported..you have to subscribe but if you would like one of our very helpful members to look for you we would need a name and a rough year
lyn
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I am looking to find records of inmates in Winson Green prison/Asylum for 1945. My relative was called Charlotte Beckett and she killed her husband and was convicted by Staffordshire assizes in 27.11.1945. She was called a criminal Lunatic. Was referred to Winson Green Prison/Asylum.
richardinwales
master brummie
My wife did her Registered Mental Health Nurse training at All Saints and nursed for 40 years (twenty here in Wales), retired and a couple of months later when covid arrived she had a phone call and she's back working Crisis Intervention. I was a general nurse and the wife and I have often talked of the changes we've both seen in our areas of nursing.
Back in 1979 she was a student she nursed many very sad people who today would never have been sectioned and locked up, even back then that was recognised but sadly these people were so institutionalised they could not realistically leave, the community support structures that we have now simply were not there for them, they were stuck in a loop.
There were women who'd been sectioned for having a breakdown after refusing an arranged marriage or having a child out of wedlock, WW1 and WW2 soldiers with 'shell shock', WW2 day clinic patients who'd become addicted to morphine and carried the habit on for the next few decades, really 'bread and butter' stuff by todays standards. Straight jackets and padded cells were gone but patients were often over medicated back then; thankfully things have changed for the better in leaps and bounds.
One thing the old asylums had that the new units don't have is space, space for patients to walk, grounds to walk etc, you really don't have that with the purpose built hospitals and at time we all need our own space.
She spent her last five years nursing as the local Trust's Senior Nurse for Patient Therapies, goes to show how things changed.
Back in 1979 she was a student she nursed many very sad people who today would never have been sectioned and locked up, even back then that was recognised but sadly these people were so institutionalised they could not realistically leave, the community support structures that we have now simply were not there for them, they were stuck in a loop.
There were women who'd been sectioned for having a breakdown after refusing an arranged marriage or having a child out of wedlock, WW1 and WW2 soldiers with 'shell shock', WW2 day clinic patients who'd become addicted to morphine and carried the habit on for the next few decades, really 'bread and butter' stuff by todays standards. Straight jackets and padded cells were gone but patients were often over medicated back then; thankfully things have changed for the better in leaps and bounds.
One thing the old asylums had that the new units don't have is space, space for patients to walk, grounds to walk etc, you really don't have that with the purpose built hospitals and at time we all need our own space.
She spent her last five years nursing as the local Trust's Senior Nurse for Patient Therapies, goes to show how things changed.
hi and welcome just wondered if you knew that there are several newspaper reports of this incident ?
lyn