Dear Dotty and Dora, Epilepsy was considered a mental illness in the 19th century. Mental illness was understood, but treatment for it was less than optimal. The fact that the true organic nature of epilespy was not clearly understood until the second half of the 20th century. You must consider the times in which these events occurred and not judge by modern standards. People living in previous centuries did not have the educational opportunities or the scientific advancements that we have today. Many chronic diseases were not discussed, even in the 1900s. Until the last quarter of the 20th century, there were many, MANY things that were not discussed either in private or in public. People who were unable to control themselves (as in epilepsy) were believed to be mentally ill. Mental illness, because it was known to run in families, was generally swept under the carpet. The same with cancer. Pregnant women were rarely seen in public in an urban setting (and often in the country, too) because it was clear that they had engaged in sexual behavior -- didn't matter if the woman was married or not. I can remember when I was a teenager in the 1960s that a classmate suddenly disappeared. She had gotten pregnant, and her family sent her away. Sufferers were NOT thought to be possessed in the 1900s. That was a 17th century concept. Karen Greim Mullian booboopies@aol.com In a message dated Thu, 31 Aug 2000 9:36:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Dora Smith <tiggernut_48@yahoo.com> writes: << WHA-A-T?! Was ALL that was wrong with him epilepsy? Didn't he have to be atleast shown incompetent? Well, I did have a great uncle who had that. I think the family concealed it - but the state medical society told me what little they had been given about him. He was a doctor. Whre is the Delaware State Hospital? And when was it founded? Dora --- Dotty H <mouserwitz@mediaone.net> wrote: > You may want to find some not so local my > ggrandfather lived in Malvern > He had epilepsy he spend the last 20 years of > his life in Delaware state > hosp where he died The family wrote him off > like he was never there > I guess in the last 1800 people who took > seizures were thought to be > possessed His Wife Died 11 years before him and > on her death certificate > it states she was a widow My Dad said his > father never talked about his > father and that was why he never knew him he > was 4 when his dad got sick > I think Mental Illness or what was though to be > mental Illness was not > Looked opon very differently back then > my Grandfather took them too but when he did > they knew more about it > them > Dotty Davis > > Dora Smith wrote: > > > > I would like to check on if members of > several of > > my London Britain and New Garden, Chester > County > > and White Clay Creek, New Castle County > families > > had any members ever put in local insane > asylums. > > I have several families who clearly carried > mood > > disorders, of whom many members are not > accounted > > for. Were there any insane asylums in the > area, > > what were their names, and how would I check > to > > see if my people were there? > > > > Yours, > > Dora Smith > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from > anywhere! > > http://mail.yahoo.com/ > > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > > Visit the US GenWeb Master States Index Page > > http://www.usgenweb.org > > -- > mailto:mouserwitz@mediaone.net > http://home.att.net/~mouserwitz > ICQ13502416 > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from regular mail mode on this > list, send a message to: > PACHESTE-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com > Put only the word unsubscribe in the body of > your message. For digest > mode, send the message to > PACHESTE-D-REQUEST@rootsweb.com > > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== To post a message to this list, send your message to PACHESTE-L@rootsweb.com >>