Consulting Practice of Dr Bedford Pierce

Dr Bedford Pierce, was Medical Superintendent of the Retreat 1892-1922. His consulting practice began in the 1890s and was extended after the Retreat gave him permission to open consulting rooms at 22 Park Place (from 1906 at 6 Park Square), Leeds, where he attended on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. The surviving material consists of case books which contain the notes for patients who were seen in Dr Pierce’s capacity as consultant, either at his private consulting rooms in Leeds or in the home of the patient or elsewhere. The period covered by the volumes includes cases which pre-date the acquisition of the consulting rooms. The order of these volumes is extremely confusing. Although originally numbered 1 - 7, there is no (and never was any) volume 5. The first two volumes were originally used for other notes, and case book 3 begins the case note series, which subsequently breaks into two parallel sets of volumes, in use simultaneously after 1908. It is not clear why there are parallel sets; one reason may be that one covers patients in Leeds and the West Riding and the other patients in York, Harrogate and the North Riding, although the difference does not always seem so clear cut. The case books have been listed in the order in which they run; not according to their original numbering. Some letters and papers are loose in the volumes.

1895-1931

7 volumes

Access to RET 8/4/1/3, RET 8/4/1/4, RET 8/4/1/5, RET 8/4/1/6, RET 8/4/1/7 is restricted under the Data Protection Act 1998.