Under That Calamity

John Perceval (1803–1876) was born to privilege, one of the many sons of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. He was only nine when his father was tragically assassinated; at twenty-seven, he began to experience intrusive thoughts, hear voices, and behave erratically. After a period of isolation, his older brother had him committed to Brislington House, a private asylum. Perceval would remain incarcerated as a lunatic until 1832. After his recovery he began advocating for reforms in the care of the mentally ill, to which end, in 1838, he anonymously published the memoir you now hold. Lindsey Grubbs is a member of the faculty in the Department of Public Health at California State University, East Bay, where she teaches courses in ethics and humanities. With a doctorate in English and postdoctoral training in bioethics, she researches the cultural history and contemporary ethics of psychiatry and neuroscience.