Mental health

Sir Alexander Morison (1779-1866) was an early forensic psychiatrist who specialised in mental and cerebral illness. After studying at Edinburgh’s Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh, he joined the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh where he practised for some years before moving south. While in England, Morison worked as Physician of Lunatic Asylums in Surrey and Bethlehem Hospital, and in 1838 became the personal physician to Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold.

This drawing, from the mid 19^th century, comes from a volume titled ‘A Collection of Original drawings by Roshard, A Johnson, Gow etc made to illustrate the works of Sir Alexander Morison on Mental Diseases’. The original illustration is housed in our collections.