In 1788–89, King George III of Great Britain became physically and mentally
ill. This has been well documented, in contrast to the sudden influx of mentally
distressed patients into private asylums of England shortly after the highly
publicized illness of the king. As told by political and social commentators during
this period, the crisis of the two bodies of the king – as head of state
and as a man – represented a significant threat to the stability of the
nation. This essay investigates possible reasons for the increase in asylum
populations, and argues that, in the age of reason and temperance as exemplified by
George III, the illness and recovery of the king created the space of the asylum as
one of the last places to allow the expression of the passions.
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