Obituary George Edward Shuttleworth,
B.A., M.D., M.R.C.S., L.S.A.
It is with great regret that we have to announce the death on May 28th, at the advanced age of 86, of Dr G. E. Shuttleworth. Although he retired from practice several years ago, he was for so many years the leading authority in this country on Mental Deficiency, and the author of such a widely read book on the subject, that there can be few psychiatrists throughout the civilized world to whom his name is not familiar. To many members of the medical profession in this country, even the junior ones, he was a well-known and revered figure, for, although he had outlived most of his contemporaries, he continued long after his retirement to attend and speak at meetings relating to the subject to which he had devoted his life. By his passing, the medical profession, and psychiatry in particular, have lost a member of outstanding prominence; whilst his character and personality were such that those who knew him mourn the loss of a warm- hearted friend and a sage counsellor who was ever ready to give his services in the cause of the needy and distressed.
George Edward Shuttleworth was born at Edgbaston on 16th November, 1842. He went to the City of London School, and on leaving there proceeded to King’s College, London, where he graduated B.A. with honours in Physiology. He subsequently took the M.R.C.S. and L.S.A. diplomas, and the M.D. degree of Heidelberg. After working for a time at the Kilburn Dispensary, he was appointed Assistant Medical Officer to the Earlswood Institution for Defectives, the Superintendent being the well-known Dr J. Langdon-Down. Here he remained until 1870, when he was chosen, out of a large number of candidates, to be Medical Superintendent of the Royal Albert Asylum at Lancaster. At that time, although there were in existence a few excellent institutions for defectives, the methods for training such persons were empirical and, for the most part hapazard, rather than based upon any scientific principles. Shuttleworth’s keen interest in Physiology enabled him to appreciate to the full the physiological principles of training which had been described in 1864 by Dr E. Seguin of America, and he became an enthusiastic user and teacher of these methods. During the 23 years of his Superintendency of the Royal Albert his wide knowledge and zeal brought that institution into the front rank of establishments for the care of the mentally defective, and gained for it a reputation which attracted visitors, not only from all parts of the United Kingdom, but from distant parts of the world. Although some improvements have naturally been made in the apparatus used for teaching, the principles adopted and described at that time by Seguin in America and Shuttleworth in England are those which are in use at the present day.
On leaving the Royal Albert, Dr Shuttleworth came to London and took up consulting work. His reputation caused him to be at once accepted as the leading authority regarding Mental Defectives. But he did much more than consulting work. He had long realized that the mass of defectives in the country had claims to consideration and to care and training which, in the great majority of cases, were denied them, and he spent his time and energy unsparingly in arousing professional and public interest on their behalf. In his work of advocat- ing their claims, or organizing and speaking at meetings, and instructing and training teachers, he had the enthusiastic support of a little band of devoted workers, chief amongst whom were Miss Ethel Dixon, Miss Bertha James, and Miss M. McDowall. In time each of these disciples became a new centre for the GEORGE EDW ARD SHUTTLEWORTH, B.A.Lond., M.D.Heidelberg, M.R.C.S.Eng. training of those who purposed to undertake the care of defectives, and there is no doubt that a very large proportion of such teachers owe their knowledge, directly or indirectly, to the work which was initiated by Shuttleworth. From 1899 to 1901 he was medical examiner of defective children under the London School Board, and from 1901 to 1905 Medical Expert to Rochester House Institution under the Metropolitan Asylums’ Board. His wide knowledge of the subject made him a most valuable member of the Departmental Committee of the Board of Education, the report of which led to the passing of the Defective and Epileptic Children Act of 1899. He also took a leading part in securing the passage of another valuable measure, namely, The Asylum Workers’ Superannua- tion Act of 1909.
He was especially interested in the work of the Central Association for Mental Welfare and since 1917 was one of its Vice-Presidents. The Association owes much to the practical knowledge and sound judgments which Shuttleworth was always ready to place at its disposal. Long after he was 60 years of age his energy and love for the work were such that he continued to take an active part in its affairs. He was a member of many other Societies and was also an active Vice- President of the Child Study Society and the Society for the Study of Inebriety. King’s College, London, recognized the value of his work by electing him a Fellow, and in 1909 he was given the Freedom of the City of London.
Whilst perhaps Dr Shuttleworth’s chief work was that of a teacher and exponent of methods of training, he nevertheless wrote important articles in the Encyclopaedia Medica, Allbutt’s System of Medicine, Hack Tuke’s Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, and numerous journals. His most important con- tribution, however, was his exceedingly valuable book on ” Mentally Deficient Children,” the first edition of which was published in 1895, and the 5th edition, in conjunction with Dr W. A. Potts, in 1922.
To those who did not know him, this account will give some idea of Shuttle- worth’s ability and energy. It is no exaggeration to say that the whole of his professional life was one of untiring devotion in the cause of mental defectives.
In this work he was a pioneer, and he maintained his interest in it almost up to the end. The writer visited him only a short time before he died, and in spite of his manifest feebleness, his thoughts were still on his life work, and he expressed his satisfaction at the recent passing of the Amended Mental Deficiency Act. Ihose who were fortunate enough to know him, however, will remember him for something more and perhaps even greater. They will remember his com- pete lack of ostentation, at times almost amounting to self-effacement, his never failing sympathy, his charitable judgment, his great kindness of heart, and his nobility of character. His book on Mental Defectives ended with the quotation, ” Lateat scintillula forsan,” but it was no small spark that lay hidden behind the unobtrusiveness of Shuttleworth.
He married Edith Mary, the daughter of Henry Hadwen of Lancaster. His widow and a son and daughter survive him, and to them we express our deep sympathy in their loss.
Tredgold.
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