After the sudden departure of John Henry, the asylum was run by a private committee for the next several months.  They knew that a replacement needed to be chosen with more care.  None of the applicants were told the true nature of the asylum since this could pose a security risk.  All they were told was that living within the asylum was a requirement and that the patients were there under very special circumstances.  Once their candidate had accepted, then the truth would be revealed.  When the interviews were over, their decision was unanimous.  Rasselas.

Rasselas was perfect for the job.  He was both a medical doctor and a psychologist, specializing in conditions of melancholy.  His intelligence was only preceded by his kindness.  Rasselas' first course of action was to change the less than adequate living conditions for the patients.  Broken straw mattresses on the floors were replaced with firm cots and bed frames.  Meals were now served in supervised dining areas instead of the seclusion of the patient's room.  He even oversaw a new sanitary filtration system to resolve the sewage disposal problems.  But perhaps his greatest achievement was his dedication to find a cure for the patients.  The seven research labs he organized on the premises were fully staffed for almost a century.  Later in his life he had a strong correspondence with both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, hinting at the asylum's haunting dilemma in order to obtain their opinions.  I was quite disappointed to learn that these letters were taken by a previous colleague well before I arrived, so I was never able to read them firsthand.  While unsuccessful in finding a cure, Rasselas greatly advanced our knowledge of the situation.

The photograph below, circa 1918, shows part of the asylum's staff around Rasselas.  Rasselas is the elderly bearded man.  I have no idea who the younger gentleman is to left of him or why he is circled.  I should also mention that I know of only three photographs that include some patients at the asylum, since photographing them was usually strictly forbidden.  This is one of them.  They can be seen on the left side of the picture.

I have only one other photograph of Rasselas.  It is within a locket that his wife wore over her heart.  Martha was a quiet nurse with a quick wit that captured the attention of Rasselas soon after he arrived.  They were wed in the asylum's chapel.  She followed him in death by two years and asked that the locket be buried with her.  Why it is here in my office I do not know.