Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tuke, William

TUKE, William (1732-1822), English philanthropist, was born at York in 1732. He devoted himself to many philanthropic objects, but his name is more especially known in connexion with the humane treatment of the insane, for whose care he projected in 1792 the Retreat at York, which became famous both abroad and in Great Britain as an institution in which a bold attempt was made to manage lunatics without the excessive restraints then regarded as essential. Not less remarkable was the departure from the beaten track of treatment in regard to copious bleedings and the frequent administration of emetics and depressing remedies. The asylum was entirely under the management of the Society of Friends, and remains so at the present time, but there are a large number of inmates not connected in any way with this body. The original character of the methods pursued at the Retreat attracted much attention, and its marked success led to comparisons being made between it and other establishments, the abuses in some of which became so notorious as to be brought under the notice of parliament, and led to more stringent legislation in the interests of the insane. The condition of this unfortunate class became greatly improved in consequence. William Tuke did not live to see the most important of the Acts passed, but when he died, in 1822, the superiority of the treatment adopted at the Retreat was fully acknowledged.

See Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, 1815-1816; Dr Conolly, Treatment of the Insane without Mechanical Restraints, 1856; Dr Hack Tuke, Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles, 1882.