Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D. 1837-1902

Photo by Alan L Brown - November 4, 2004

Plaque Location

The County of Middlesex
The City of London
Beside the Chapel of Hope, on the east side of the grounds of the psychiatric hospital on the east side of Highbury Avenue north of Dundas Street

Plaque Text

A pioneer in the study and treatment of mental illness, Bucke was born in Norfolk, England and raised near here. He graduated from the McGill College medical school in 1862, after spending several adventure-filled years in the American West, and from 1877 until his death he served as superintendent of the London Asylum for the Insane. During his tenure at this hospital, Bucke attracted widespread attention for his progressive theories on emotional disorders and his innovative care of mental patients. Inspired by the writings of Walt Whitman, the American poet whose biography he later wrote, he also devoted himself to far-reaching philosophical speculations. With the publication in 1901 of his celebrated book, Cosmic Consciousness, Bucke became recognized as a leading interpreter of the mystical experience.

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