Arthur Mitchell (physician)

Sir Arthur Mitchell MD KCB FRSE LLD (19 January 1826 – 12 October 1909) was a Scottish doctor involved in the study and care of patients with mental illness.

[citation needed] He lived in Edinburgh, a short train journey away, at 7 Laverockbank Villas in the Trinity district.

His appointment closely followed the publication of a report by the Scottish Lunacy Commission that prompted a greater understanding of the care of the insane.

While he recorded many cases of neglect and abuse in this setting, he argued that private care, if properly supervised, had an important part to play in the management of the insane.

Mitchell's work with the Board of Lunacy required him to travel extensively in Scotland, and he took advantage of this to carry out research in archaeology and anthropology.

Mitchell pointed out that the relatively crude workmanship could indicate an early origin, but could equally represent more recent work as an old skill declined.

He used a similar argument in describing some of his finds in the communities of the Scottish islands, for example spindle whorls, and craggans, unglazed and usually undecorated clay pots.

[16] His conclusion was that the difference in the essential characteristics of modern and early peoples are imperceptible, that civilisation was due to accumulated knowledge rather than an inherent superiority of its individual members.

Mitchell's paper On various superstitions in the north-west highlands and islands of Scotland, especially in relation to lunacy[15] encompassed both of his interests in the management of the insane and folk-culture.

As Donoho (2012) notes "It is the earliest text specifically devoted to Highland folk-cures for insanity, and it espoused Mitchell's strong views on the matter, which is that he did not find these folk cures remotely palatable or justifiable".

[21] His managerial colleagues included David Paulin as Manager and James Sorley as Treasurer (who together had founded the company).

[23] [24] Their only child was Sydney Mitchell (1856–1930),[25] a successful Edinburgh architect who was commissioned by Arthur to design Craig House as an asylum in 1887.