I love history – so many crazy things. And today I am actually looking at crazy people things (or to be accurate, the insane files), circa 1909-1917. They're actually commitment records.
When they use the specific form there is a space for what outward signs there are to indicate that the person needs to be put in an asylum. And some of them are a bit of a stretch as far as being dangerous (shouting?) but my favourite is a woman whose husband said she was twitchy. Not bitchy, twitchy. Almost as bad as that one I mentioned previously where a woman was put away for being anxious.
There are also letters about people put away because they are insane AND dangerous. Twitchy woman was just insane, not dangerous. There was a guy who they say became insane “due to masturbation”. Yup, forget blindness, it can make you crazy. And then they lock you up. One more and I’ll go back to work. And I have to mention it not because of what made them lock the guy up but their word use. In an official document no less!
“Bothering the womenfolk”. No further explanation. So did he assault women? Was he a flasher? Boring? Irritating? Violent? They never say. They just say he needs to be put away for bothering the womenfolk. As God is my witness, they used the word womenfolk.
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2 comments:
Ha!!!! I love that. I know a few people I could have committed for all of those reasons. Ah, the good old days.
I was just sayin'....wait....what was that? Was that a twitch!! and...OMG...the womenfolk are looking at me funny......I hope my dick twitching hasn't aroused suspicions.....hehe I said "aroused".....meds? what meds? I don't need no meds!! MOMMY!!!!!
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