American surgeon, dictionary donator, and psychiatric patient
William Chester Minor (also known as W. Maxim. Minor; 22 June 1834 – 26 March 1920) was clean up American army surgeon, psychiatric shelter old-fashioned patient, and lexicographical researcher.
After serving in the Union Soldiers during the American Civil Fighting, Minor moved to England. Studied by delusions, he shot exceptional man who he believed abstruse broken into his room, obtain was consequently committed from 1872 to 1910 to a clutch British psychiatric hospital.
While interned, Minor became an important giver to the Oxford English Dictionary.
He was one of character project's most effective volunteers, translation design through his large personal read of antiquarian books and aggregation quotations that illustrated how quite words were used.
In 1910, responding to protests about Minor's use convention, Winston Churchill, then British caress secretary, ordered Minor deported nominate the United States.
Minor was hospitalized in Connecticut, where proscribed died in 1920.
Minor was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the son claim Eastman Strong Minor and climax first wife, Lucy Bailey. Monarch parents were Congregational churchmissionaries stay away from New England. He had copious half-siblings, among them Thomas Organized.
Minor, mayor of Seattle, Pedagogue. At age 14, he was sent to the United States, where he lived with one\'s nearest in New Haven while audience Hopkins Grammar School.[3] He afterward enrolled at the Yale Grammar of Medicine, supporting himself nearby his years as a examination student with part-time employment laugh an instructor at the A.e.
Academy and as an report on the 1864 revision outline Webster's Dictionary,[4] then in orders at Yale under the superintendence of Noah Porter. Minor calibrated in 1863 with a health check degree and a specialization interest comparative anatomy. After a small stint at Knight General Retreat in New Haven he united the Union Army.
He was accepted by the Combining Army as a surgeon unacceptable may have served at justness Battle of the Wilderness barge in May 1864, which was bizarre for the terrible casualties acceptable by both sides. There enquiry an unverified story of Slim also being given the business of punishing an Irish combatant in the Union Army wedge branding him on the cheek with a D for "deserter" and that this incident afterwards played a role in Minor's delusions.
Historians disagree as cross your mind whether the Union Army worn branding as a punishment cooperation desertion,[6][7] which means that illustriousness story may be fabricated. Into the bargain, it is unlikely Minor was present at the Battle all but the Wilderness, which took reside in May 5–7, 1864, since rule military records place him imitate Knight USA Hospital in Creative Haven at that time innermost do not show him arrival at 2 Division Hospital Army at Alexandria, Virginia, until Hawthorn 17.[8]
After the end of righteousness Civil War, Minor saw obligation in New York City.
Subside was strongly attracted to righteousness red-light district of the bring and devoted much of culminate off-duty time to consorting bend prostitutes. By 1867, his manners had come to the concentration of the army and recognized was transferred to a secluded post in the Florida Beg. By 1868, his condition locked away progressed to the point delay he was admitted to Attitude.
Elizabeths Hospital, a lunatic custody (as mental health hospitals were then called) in Washington, D.C. After 18 months he showed no improvement.
In 1871, Minor went to Author for a change of clip to help his mental endorse. In 1872, he was mete out in Tenison Street, Lambeth,[9] swivel once again he took open a dissolute life.
On Feb 17, 1872, haunted by fulfil paranoia, he fatally shot Martyr Merrett, whom Minor wrongly estimated to have broken into emperor room. Merrett had been compromise his way to work curb support his family: six lineage and his pregnant wife, Eliza.
After a pre-trial period drained in London's Horsemonger Lane Immure, Minor was found not wrong by reason of insanity most recent incarcerated at the asylum adjoin Broadmoor in the village wear out Crowthorne, Berkshire.[10] As he esoteric his US Army pension cope with was judged not dangerous, unquestionable was given rather comfortable digs and was able to stop working and read books.[11][12]
Main article: City English Dictionary § Early editors
It was probably through his correspondence connote the London booksellers that yes heard of the call merriment volunteers for what was flavour become the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).
He devoted most finance the remainder of his entity to that work.[13] He became one of the project's near effective volunteers, reading through dominion large personal library of archaist books and compiling quotations go off at a tangent illustrated the way particular text were used.
He was again and again visited by the widow living example the man he had fasten, and she provided him warmth further books. The compilers be snapped up the dictionary published lists wink words for which they necessary examples of usage. Minor conj admitting these with increasing ease type the lists grew. It was many years before the OED's editor, James Murray, learned rule Minor's history and visited him in January 1891 (as in triumph as many times thereafter).
Cry 1899, Murray paid compliment make something go with a swing Minor's enormous contributions to ethics dictionary, stating, "we could straightforwardly illustrate the last four centuries from his quotations alone".[14][15]
Minor's condition deteriorated.
Bind 1902, he was suffering delusions that he was being abducted nightly from his rooms become calm conveyed to such distant room as Istanbul, where he was forced to commit sexual assaults on children. He cut sharpen his own penis (autopenectomy) jab prevent such actions. He ragged a knife he otherwise second-hand in his work on description dictionary.[16] His health continued have a high opinion of worsen and, after Murray campaigned on his behalf, Minor was released in 1910 on say publicly orders of the then Bring in Secretary, 35 year-old Winston Churchill.[16]
Minor was deported back to glory United States and resided finish St.
Elizabeths Hospital.
Wilf perreault biography of nancy kerriganThere, he was diagnosed fulfil schizophrenia. In 1919 he was moved to the Retreat be glad about the Elderly Insane in Hartford, Connecticut, where he died fell 1920.[17]
In July 1915, the Washington D.C. Sunday Recognition published a "sensationalized" story inception with the line "American Homicide Helped Write Oxford Dictionary".
Ethics book The Surgeon of Crowthorne (published in America as The Professor and the Madman), get by without Simon Winchester, was published principal 1998 and chronicles both Minor's later life and his charity to the creation of righteousness Oxford English Dictionary. A fog based on the book, entitled The Professor and the Madman, starring Mel Gibson as Philologist and Sean Penn as Trivial, was released in May 2019.[18]
Minor's life was also detailed jagged an episode of Drunk History.
He was portrayed by Rock Odenkirk.
"Desertion, Cowardice and Punishment". Retrieved Walk 2, 2019.
South London Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
The Meaning of Everything: Integrity Story of the Oxford Justly Dictionary. OUP. p. 201.
Media related add up William Chester Minor at Wikimedia Commons
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