Over two hundred years ago, James Tilly Matthews became the first documented case of schizophrenia. The condition no doubt existed before then, but mental illnesses were often lumped together and rarely documented in detail. Matthews was a writer, and so was his psychiatrist. His case is also an interesting glimpse at an early conspiracy theory. After involvement in certain factions of the French Revolution, Matthews was imprisoned, then later committed to the infamous Bedlam asylum. There he developed his theory about the "Air Loom," a device controlled by a small group of Jacobin terrorists, which he named, that could control or torture others from a distance.
The Air Loom was fuelled by a grotesque mixture of substances, including “fetid effluvia,” “spermatic-animal-seminal rays,” “putrid human breath,” and “gaz from the anus of a horse.” Its magnetic discharges, Matthews insisted, could implant thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations directly into his brain.
Friends and family spent years trying to free Matthews, as they claimed his lunacy was spurred by unfair imprisonment and the cruel conditions of Bedlam (both valid concerns). Indeed, Matthews' story contributed to the overdue reforms at the institution. Read about James Tilly Matthews and his delusions at Amusing Planet.
(Image credit: James Tilly Matthews)