From Buckinghamshire History Festival 2020

David Luck has been in working in archives for 12 years, most recently in various roles at London Metropolitan Archives. He joined the Museum of the Mind in June 2019 as the archivist, and now looks after a collection of records relating to Bethlem Royal, Maudsley and Warlingham Park Hospitals that go back to the 1500s. You can find more information on the museum, and the history of the hospitals and mental health treatment, on the museum’s website. David is very happy to answer any questions as best he can at [email protected]

In A Brief History of Mental Health Care, David talks to Buckinghamshire Archives’ Katherine Gwyn about the changing way British society has coped with mental health issues throughout history. From the 17th century theory of bodily “humours”, to the establishment of asylums in the Victorian era, and through to modern day, David and Katherine examine the changing attitudes, treatments, and language surrounding mental illness.