“There is no great genius without a touch of madness…”
Aristotle
The Monroes were a dominant 18th century British medical dynasty. The butchering Monroes were surgeons and based in Edinburgh. The other side of the family was the mad Monroes. They controlled through nepotism the mental health care in London for over 150 years. To do this they oversaw Bethlehem Hospital, Europe’s first mental facility, established in 1247. John Munro was particularly notorious as the hospital’s superintendent. Although the hospital was charitable and provided free care to all, that care was controversial at best and sadistic at worst. Munro made a fortune from fees paid by the general public to view the antics of the insane. John Munro stated that he loathed medicine, his passion was art. Munro was a pioneer of modern watercolour practices, loving to paint plein air. He also gave lessons in painting to the young JWM Turner, eventually becoming the great British painter’s major supporter and patron. #nepobaby #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 