ARTHUR BURNS: For almost 200 years now,
there's been an ongoing discussion among historians,
psychiatrists, medical doctors, biographers, archivists
about what the evidence is and how it should be interpreted.
And of course, because George was king
and this illness hit him at a time
when he was engaged in really quite
significant and controversial political activity,
not just with reference to Britain but, of course,
more generally in the world, this
was a very well documented illness,
in which we have a quite extraordinary set of case
notes, which can be the basis for interpretation
and discussion going forward.
And it's these case notes that constitute the medical papers
associated with George III.
It's not all of them.
There are many documents elsewhere in other archives
which are equally important.
Thus, Lambeth Palace Library in London
holds the records of the Queen's Council, which
oversaw the King's treatment in the latter stages
of his illness.
In the British Library, you can consult the journals and notes
of some of the doctors kept for their own purposes.
Sir Francis Willis and his successors from his family
kept copious notes that are there.
Other archives held the records of other doctors.
So all in all, there's a considerable body
of source material, but the materials
held at the Royal Archives are particularly important.
And although they have been used by historians in the past,
this is the first time that all these documents
are going to be made publicly available without censorship,
because many, of course, deal with very intimate details
of the King's disorder and personal life.
And that's the most remarkable thing about the collection
we're dealing with.
At its core lie the series of daily reports issued
by the doctors who were treating George, or at least overseeing
his illness, mainly to the Prince Regent,
as the Prince Regent, but earlier as the Prince of Wales,
reporting to him the King's progress
and his prospects of recovery and his activities
during each day.
At moments of crisis, these reports
could be happening twice daily, often more than one side
recounting the King's sleep patterns,
his behavior, any medicine that's
been administered to him, and more general observations
about his interactions with other members of the family.
Alongside these reports, which constitute a vast array over
the various years in which the King was affected,
we also have journals, both one of Robert Fulke Greville,
who was an Equerry during the King's most famous illness
in 1788 to 1789-- one of the key sources for Alan
Bennett's play--
and then that of Henry Halford, one of the physicians
who was treating the King in his final moments
as well as treating other members of the Royal
Family for their ailments.
So there's a lot of really quite interesting material
available to look at here.