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Harperbury Hospital's longest serving patient: the Fred Pilcher story

David O'Driscoll

It was a Thursday, a lovely day, and I remember we had soup and rice pudding for dinner.

Fred Pilcher was admitted to Harperbury Hospital, Hertfordshire in October, 1928.

He was nineteen. Harperbury was still being built; in fact it was not open till 1933. On admission, each new patient was given their patient number - Fred's was number 4. Fred went on to stay/live at Harperbury for over 50 years leaving in 1977; he died a few years later. His IQ was tested in 1954 and was found to be 120.

For this presentation I will be giving an account of his life and times at Harperbury. I will be using his detailed medical records which give a fascinating insight into his health and in particular his mental health. It also provides a historical snapshot of the health of people with learning disabilities in general and the medical thinking throughout the various periods of his life.

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About the Group

If you woud like to get in touch with the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group, please contact:

Liz Tilley 
Chair of the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group
School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

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